Pacifica Journal A bi-annual newsletter published by the in Hawai'i No. 48, Vol.2 2015

Waldorf Earthquake Appeal cational crisis intervention team of experienced educators and Nana Göbel, Henning Kullak-Ublick, Bernd Ruf, Andreas Schubert therapists from May 9 to 23. The organisation “Shanti Sewa Friends of Waldorf , Griha”, which operates a leprosy hospital in Kathmandu as well [First printed online at www.freunde-waldorf.de] as several children’s homes and an attached Waldorf , is a long time partner of the Friends of and On Saturday, April 25, 2015 the strongest earthquake will be the starting point of our two-week mission. The aim is for almost a century struck Nepal, causing great misery, and to help traumatised children and young people to overcome plunging the country into chaos. Help us with your donation their experiences of the disaster. to carry out an emergency educational deployment and sup- port the reconstruction of the country’s school infrastructure. Construction of school infrastructure About eight million people have been affected by the The second focus of our mission is the reconstruction of the earthquake. Fatalities go into the thousands and the hospitals infrastructure of local Waldorf facilities. Since the earthquake, are overcrowded. Countless people have lost their homes and we have received many calls and inquiries regarding the situa- belongings. Many are traumatized by the disaster and suffer tion of our partners. To our great relief, it seems most people from hunger and cold. in the facilities associated and known to us are okay consider- Our goal is to help the local population and our affili- ing the circumstances. The teachers of Tashi Waldorf School ated Waldorf institutions to cope with this destructive disaster.

Educational First Aid The loss of family and home and the confronta- tion with suffering and destruction, leads to se- vere psychological trauma, especially for children. Earthquakes in particular cause a severe psychological burden, as the safe ground is withdrawn under one’s feet and literally turns into a threat. In cooperation with Germanys Relief Coalition and the regional partners “Shanti” the Friends of Waldorf Education will deploy an emergency edu-

Anthroposophical Society in Hawai'i, 2514 Alaula Way, Honolulu, Hawai'i Email: [email protected], www.anthroposophyhawaii.org in Kathmandu are unhurt, but it is hardly possible for them foundation. They are given the freedom to play, discover, and to obtain news about the well being of all students. Also the develop naturally without stress or pressure. people and of the KRMEF Community (Kevin Tashi Waldorf School uses a which integrates Rohan Memorial Eco Foundation) are grateful that everyone is the principles of Waldorf () education with the alive. In one of the orphanages supported by us in Kathmandu, culture and traditions of the Himalayan region to create an all buildings were destroyed. From Buddhanilkantha, which educational experience that is meaningful and relevant for is located some distance from Kathmandu, we hear that all the children. teachers of Shanti Waldorf School are healthy, but most build- The kindergarten curriculum includes story time, circle ings, the school, the home for children with disabilities and time, action songs, rhymes, and traditional arts and crafts. The the are severely damaged. Only three of the grade curriculum includes main lessons in Nepalese, math, buildings can be used as emergency shelters at the moment. form drawing, and nature studies. The rest of the day includes All others, especially the school building, are in danger of col- additional subjects such as painting, movement, handicrafts, lapsing and have to be demolished and rebuilt. physical education, music and singing, English as an additional We will of course remain in contact with our local friends language and Tibetan as a second language. and will go on to plan the reconstruction, especially in Shanti, Each day the children receive a multivitamin supplement, during the next days. It is already certain, however, that our nutritious snack and lunch, as well as medical, dental and vi- associated facilities are in need of support in order to survive. sion care and clothing as needed. Our concern is not only to contribute to fix the damage, but www.childrenofnepal.org also to help rebuild the school infrastructure in the long term. The donations will be divided according to the most urgent Shanti Seva Griha, Kathmandu needs and used for reconstruction, emergency education and Normal as well as physically challenged children go to survival assistance in Nepal. and kindergarten at Shanti Sewa Griha. In 1999, a To donate from anywhere in the world, go to the “Freunde school was established at Budhanilkantha to assist those who der Erziehungskunst (Friends of Waldorf Education)” website. could not afford to pay for their children’s education. Shanti In the sidebar, click “Donate Now.” Enter your information and offers classes from nursery till the 5th grade, on the checkout page, under Special Notes and Instructions, enter with additional standards added annually. The Disabled Chil- “NEPAL.” dren’s Center was initiated to provide proper care for disabled children. This center is a home to many mentally challenged Tashi Waldorf School, Kathmandu and polio-affected children. Relentless endeavors are being Tashi in Tibetan means “all that is good”. Tashi Waldorf made to help special children lead a relatively normal life. School began its 14th school year in April 2014 with a nursery, In light of the fact that over half of the Nepali are illiterate, two and classes from one to four. There are 120 it was clear for Shanti from the beginning to found a school children studying in the school. for children based on the Waldorf teaching method. Children Nepal is home to a wide variety of ethnic and tribal groups. shouldn’t be drilled with rote memorization, which is typical In recent years Kathmandu has become an urban melting pot, for Nepalese public schools, but should be allowed to develop reflecting the rich diversity of the nation. In accordance with their creativity in the artistic subjects. Tashi Waldorf School’s commitment to fostering an open and For this reason, lesson plans feature artistic activities like inclusive environment, its children and staff come from a wide drawing, painting, working with sound, music, singing and variety of cultural backgrounds. Though culturally diverse, the majority of the children attending Tashi Waldorf School come from disadvantaged homes. Their parents work as carpet weavers, construction labourers, and in other menial jobs. Many of the families have migrated from rural areas in search of a better life. Employment opportunities are scarce for those possessing little to no training or skills, and families are forced to live on the margins of society in poor conditions. Tashi Waldorf School is committed to provid- ing child-centered culturally relevant education for its children. In the colorful, stimulating, and safe environment of the kindergartens and early grades, the children receive a wonderful educational Teaching Children to Ask Questions

2 dancing as well as sports, crafts and artisanry. A dedicated damage during birth, he has spastic, contorted arms. With dance instructor teaches the children traditional Nepalese folk amazing dexterity, he uses his feet to keep his notes. dances. Preserving the country’s culture and passing it on to He is good at mathematics and can draw wonderfully. His the children is very important to Shanti. colorful pictures are a marvel to all. In this way, he feels part In particular, they should be raised to think for themselves. of the community and is an extremely content individual. One of the most important questions in this regard is “Why?”. To inquire, to question something, to express doubt – these Ankuran Kindergarten, Kathmandu are driving forces in shaping a democracy. At Shanti, children Our kindergarten provides high quality, meaningful educa- are encouraged to ask questions so that they learn to under- tion to children who need it most. Many of the children come stand the meaning of life around them. Without asking why, from families who are impoverished, so they need only provide development and thus progress are impossible. a small fee in order for their child to go to school. In desperate Since Shanti learned that children in public schools are cases, the foundation provides full financial support for families trained not to ask this question, the instructors place even more who cannot afford the cost of the child’s education. emphasis on encouraging the children to question. Currently, there are plans to extend the reach of the kinder- 105 children currently attend the all- in Bud- garten program to the Kokhana leprosy community, located hanilkhanta, where they are taught by ten teachers, who regu- 40 minutes away. By advocating early social development with larly participate in courses in Waldorf those living in leprosy affected communities, it is our hope that, . in time, the social barriers that stand against full acceptance of Children who live in Kathmandu are brought to Bud- the disease will be weakened. hanilkhanta each day by school bus. This bus was purchased Ankuran Kindergarten is opened with the vision of sup- thanks to the donations from Hape Kerkeling, who won it on porting the women from the village so that they can go to work a celebrity special of the “Wer wird Millionär” TV game show. and also children from the leprosy colony and can get chance to go to school and get better knowledge. The Kevin Rohan Memorial Eco Foundation (KRMEF) was established in 2008 near Khokana, in the southwest of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. KRMEF is trying to save the local environment by using local manpower, local waste, and educating the local population about the benefits of protect- ing the environment. The project periodically runs free health and dental camps in a local school and looks forward to open- ing a free clinic very soon.KRMEF has begun a pilot project focused on recycling waste found in and around the city of Kathmandu and utilizing the waste to produce sustainable fuel in the form of bio-briquettes and bio-gas. Waste bottles have also been collected and made into walls and windows. This ecological architecture will soon be implemented in the Everyone learns together new clinic. These processes give work to many jobless, help- less and disabled individuals.Presently KRMEF is sponsoring Beginning in the first form, children are taught in Nepali schooling for underprivileged children, has an eco-guest house, as well as in English. a volunteer program, a working organic/biodynamic garden, The school currently teaches forms 1 through 5. However, and is working to implement Waldorf techniques in a village Shanti is working to receive consent from the authorities to school. We look forward to further developing our network to teach up to 8th form and be able to prepare students for general include treatments and education for physically handicapped school leaving certificates. children and to take care of the old, among many other activi- All of the classes at the Shanti school are integrated. Both ties.The KRMEF garden helps to promote biodynamic farming physically-handicapped and non-handicapped children learn methods in Nepal. We provide training to anyone who wants together. Visitors are repeatedly astounded by the numerous to volunteer on the farm and the bee farm where we produce possibilities of how handicapped children can solve difficult our own organic honey. tasks themselves. www.krmef.org For example, ten-year-old Rukesh, who has only one arm, can clamp the knitting needles between his legs so skilfully that Maitreya Pathshala Waldorf Inspired School, Pokhara he is able to knit with the others. In this fashion, he knitted Maitreya Pathshala Waldorf Inspired School opened its himself a scarf, which he now wears proudly. doors in April 2014 in Pokhara, which is considered to be the Another example is 16-year-old Buddha. Due to brain queen city of Nepal. The goal of the school was to provide qual-

3 ity education focused on the needs of the child and through a Farming Program in Nepal Helps deeper understanding of those needs. Sustain Education The school follows the Steiner-Waldorf philosophy which is an alternative approach to the current education system in Ira Zunin, Honolulu, Hawai'i Nepal. It is the first Steiner-Waldorf school in Pokhara city. Recognising the inherent in each human being is [First printed in Honolulu Star Advertiser, “Wealth of Health,” the core for the development of education of the children. Money Section. 2/21/15] The school started with twelve children and two teachers, accommodated in the two kindergarten classes with a capacity I recently had an opportunity to visit a fledgling, yet re- of 30 children in each classroom. markably successful, Waldorf School and biodynamic farm in The school was founded by a team comprising Babita Pokhara, Nepal. Biodynamic farming is founded on the principle Kayastha, Ritman Gurung, Bishnu Sherchan, Pema Gurung, that bringing vitality to the soil causes plants to thrive and nour- Asha Dura and Sofiya Sherchan. The school is fortunate in ishes people and animals living on the land. Rudolf Steiner, the having Sarita Sanghai, Waldorf Kindergarten teacher from inspiration behind Waldorf education, believed that biodynamic Hyderabad, India commit to making twice yearly to the farming would benefit students not simply with healthy food school. She has already trained our teachers, helped to set-up but also by cultivating in them the experience of being stewards and develop the school. for this precious earth. The team built the school building, together with the seminar hall and the guest house. They started the volunteer program which helps to contribute to the school’s finances by offering affordable accommodation in the guest house. Worldganic farm was established two years before the school, in April 2012. The farm was started in order to practice the biodynamic methods of agriculture. The main goal of the farm is to produce healthy soil, healthy food and healthy life forms within the soil through biodynamic farming. Rudolf Steiner has mentioned that Maitreya means “future Buddha” who is going to come in this world to save the world. Maitreya Buddha is waiting for the right time, right place and right people to lead and propagate the spiritual rule in the world in the future. So Maitreya Waldorf School is opened in Pokhara to make the right people and right place during right time for Maitreya Buddha. With the end of the school year but a couple of months away, we begin to focus our thoughts on the second year of the Maitreya Pathshala Waldorf Inspired School. Garnering the resources needed to start and sustain the We thank everyone for the tremendous support, encourage- venture required ingenuity. With a GDP per capita of scarcely ment and love which has streamed towards us during this our $750 per year, Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. first year. Please continue to journey with us! Few families are in a position to pay for education let alone food http://maitreyapathshala.wix.com/maitreya#!giving/c70d and shelter. Ritman Garung, co-founder of the school and farm learned about Waldorf education while studying economics at Tribhuvan in Nepal. A native of Pokhara, he knew that it would be difficult to sustain the school by depending on tuition alone. With family support and bank loans, a few years ago, he was able to purchase eight acres of land. Today the facility has 15 kindergarten students age three to five, and a productive farm with vegetables and fruit trees. There are also several cows that produce milk, some of which is used to make feta cheese. The farm now produces almost enough food not only to feed the children and staff but also to subsidize the school. In addition, some of the families were so pleased with the fertile environment created for their children that they offered to step up and pay additional tuition. After the first couple of

4 Worldganic Biodynamic Farm, a part of Maitreya Pathshala Waldorf School in Pokhara, Nepal. Farm: https://www.facebook.com/worldganicbiodynamic, School: https://www.facebook.com/maitreyapathshala years, word began to spread and parents from throughout the is filled with pesticides and depleted of nutrients. Pokhara community have begun to attend talks at the farm Biodynamic farming strives to nourish the soil rather than about Steiner's philosophy on Waldorf education and healthy exploit it. Typical measures of productivity are short-sighted, parenting. The biodynamic farm also benefits from international whereas a focus on revitalizing the soil connects the earth to volunteers wishing to offer hands-on support. Next year, the plants and people, according to Ritman. The natural resources Pokhara Waldorf School will initiate a first grade with the inten- of our blue planet are under stress. Informed by science and tion of adding one additional grade each year. guided by a sense of personal responsibility, we must forge a more Because of limited funding, according to Ritman, it isn't intimate, functional and integrated relationship with the world feasible to send the school's five teacher-farmers abroad for around us. This intention is embodied by Waldorf education continuing education. Instead, the team invites experts to come and biodynamic farming. For many years it has been success- to Nepal to teach at the farm. Most recently, Van James and fully modeled by the Honolulu Waldorf School. It is incredibly Bonnie Ozaki-James, both venerated teachers of the Honolulu inspiring to see this way of life now taking root in Nepal. Waldorf School, travelled to Nepal where Mr. James offered a On parting, I asked Ritman if the school has any particular seminar to the teaching team covering Waldorf perspectives on needs at this time. He said they could use a van to transfer chil- art education. dren, bring in supplies for the farm and carry produce to market. The integrated Pokhara Waldorf School, called Maitreya Pathshala and the biodynamic farm, Worldganic, is a beacon For more information: Maitreya Pathshala Waldorf School of light in this war-torn, failed state where members of the and Worldganic Biodynamic Farm, Constitutional Assembly recently resorted to throwing micro- Pokhara, Nepal. [email protected] phones and breaking desks. For decades, Nepal has struggled as a pawn between its two mighty neighbors on either side of the Kawika" Zunin, MD, MPH, MBA, is a practicing physi- Himalayas. The 28 million people of this nation suffer from daily cian. He is medical director of Manakai O Malama Integrative electrical brown outs, inadequate water supplies and shortages Healthcare Group and Rehabilitation Center and CEO of Global of gas for cooking and gasoline for transportation. The air in Advisory Services Inc. Please submit your questions to info@ Kathmandu is increasingly toxic while much of the arable land manakaiomalama.com

5 The Asian Waldorf Teachers with vivid descriptions of the seven virtues of the Waldorf Conference in Fujino, Japan teacher: Joyfulness, Faithfulness, Interest, Initiative, Power of Imagination, Responsibility of Soul, and Courage for the Van James, Honolulu, Hawai'i Truth. The deeply rich content was always presented with engaging humor and colorful anecdotes. Present Pedagogical Section co-leaders, Florian Osswald and Claus-Peter Rōh, con- As the heavens thundered and a misty rain cloaked the tributed thoughts on school management and the role of the spring green hills and distant mountains of the country land- class teacher, respectively, while Kai Iruma and Porn Panosot scape on the outskirts of Tokyo, a traditional Japanese taiko shared their thoughts on the current situation in Japan and drum ceremony, as if in echoed response to the thunder, the evolution of consciousness in Asia. In addition, there were sounded the opening welcome of the Asian Waldorf Teach- forty international seminar and workshop presenters offering ers Conference. Over 400 Asian Waldorf teachers gathered a wide range of specialized subject areas for the deepening of for the conference at the Fujino Waldorf School, one of two teaching practices. government recognized Steiner schools in Japan. There are Many questions arose for presenters and participants presently a total of 8 schools and 50 kindergartens in Japan. concerning the direction that Waldorf education will take in It was clear that a tremendous effort came from all of these the Asian context. Does one introduce calligraphic characters schools, especially the Fujino school’s teachers and parents, in in the same way as letters of the alphabet? Do Grimm's fairy preparing and hosting this event. tales, Old Testament stories, and Norse mythology fit in Asian schools in the same way as in the Western schools? How does the teacher work from out of a spiritual picture of the human being and not just teach recipes learned in brief conferences or short summer trainings? What about schools that aren't recognized in their countries, what can be done about this? All of these questions and their answers are part of the bridge building process that is taking place in Asia today. As with any conference, the breaks and mealtimes estab- lished the dynamic social heart of the AWTC. This time for connecting with ones colleagues, in-country and cross-borders, over plenty of white rice and tofu with chop sticks in-hand was valuable time spent. Together with the country presentations at the end of the conference it was clear just how diverse and in- ternational the Waldorf movement has actually become. Since the first AWTC in 2005, participating countries have grown to include Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, Building upon the previous conference held in Korea two Singapore, Malaysia, Nepal and India. years ago, this year’s theme was “Building a Conscious Bridge Apart from the thunder and light rain on the first day, to the Future for Asia.” Christof Wiechert, former head of the the pleasantest of sunny spring weather greeted the eight-day Pedagogical Section, delivered the morning keynote lectures 6 at the bottom right the teachers and left the parents. Only if the three legs of this triangle work properly can educationally constructive work be done. If even just one is faulty the whole educational process is disrupted. Everyone who has anything to do with school and educa- tion will immediately see how correct this image is. So what are the conditions for the positive collaboration between parents and teachers? It is clear that parents obtain their knowledge about what happens in school and in lessons always at second hand. That is why it is important to practice open door educa- tion. Parents and colleagues can come into the classroom at any time unannounced and attend part of the lessons. Some of our Dutch schools literally had open doors. The parents who looked in obtained an impression of the living pulse of conference at the end of April. Trees were in blossom and the lesson, of the many processes which have to be managed at flowers bloomed brilliantly all around the school. On the last the same time. These experiences had a strong effect. Parents day of the conference workshop participants reviewed their saw what was really going on. accomplishments, Nana Gōbel of the Friends for Waldorf But why should colleagues not also visit one another in Education passed out certificates, presenter’s performed a lessons? Why not use this simple form of intervision and invite bridge-building skit, and warm appreciations were given and colleagues to sit in on a class? And afterwards go for a coffee received all around. With little need for discussion those as- together to discuss the question: why do you do it in this sembled enthusiastically agreed that China, now with more way? The old image of the class teacher as the solitary, unap- than three-dozen schools and some 500 kindergartens, would proachable ruler who is always right in his kingdom behind host the next AWTC in the spring of 2017. closed doors is no longer valid. The king is dead, long live the king! The “new” king is open, transparent, comprehensible in his actions, accessible; he understands that he cannot do and Taking an Interest - The Bridge know everything but he knows where to find help for what between Parents and Teachers he does not know. He keeps one-and-a-half hours at the end Christof Wiechert, of a weekday free each week. Parents can then drop in as in a [Summary of a lecture at the 2014 national congress in Dresden. kind of informal surgery. Low level, no advance notice. If no First published at the Friends of Waldorf Education, April 2015] one turns up he can prepare lessons or correct lesson books. It is marvellous for the teach to be accessible for parents in this way to discuss things. The “new” king holds three big parents’ evenings during the year which are announced well in advance and at which he expects all parents. The other parents can put subjects on the agenda via the class parents. At such evenings he asks the parents how the pupils are doing. Using sketches and drawings, he himself develops a developmental picture of the individual child and pupil in a way of interest to everyone without forget- ting a single one and, of course, without a hint of negativity. Then he describes how he achieved the learning goals of the last few months and the ones which are to be achieved in the coming months. Class trips should not be a main topic at parents’ evenings. A waste of time! They can be discussed elsewhere, for example by letter or email. Problems are not, of course, discussed. If Christoph Wiechert at the Asian Waldorf Teachers Conference, there are problems, they are resolved between the parties in 2015. a small group. You do not invite all the parents of a class to discuss some problem. That is resolved on the side with those When many years ago the doctor and special needs teacher involved. We should always assume that parents are just as was asked what constructive collaboration busy as we are (or more so)! So we will ensure that the parents’ between parents and teachers might look like, he described for evening is interesting and varied above all – actually as happy his colleagues the “golden triangle”. At the top are the pupils, and good tempered as the lessons!

7 Neither will the “new” teacher use the telephone to com- Now, disputes can always occur which might have a great plain to parents about the behaviour or conduct of pupils. variety of causes. It is important under all circumstances that Once the “new” teachers have arrived, Waldorf parents need no the parents “learn” to articulate their concerns clearly and longer fear the telephone! The teachers resolve their problems promptly. Once it has been said, a meeting is agreed. In so- themselves, that is part of the job. How many parents have not called “difficult” meetings we ask the parents to agree that we been under veritable siege from the telephone over the years! are allowed to bring along an extra pair of ears, that is, a col- No parents’ evenings at home league. The parents are warmly invited also to bring someone But alongside that, the transparently acting teacher will along to the meeting. If serious consequences arise from the organise informal parents’ evenings with always different meeting, minutes should be kept which are signed by all the parents at their home. Anyone who wants to can come along participants at the meeting. and discuss (no lectures from the teacher!) what happens to be If a colleague is fundamentally called into question by the of concern to them. How late should class 3 pupils go to bed? parents, the school management should take him or her “out How much pocket money is healthy for a class 5 pupil? What of the firing line” until the matter has been clarified. It is an can we do to stop the “terror” of having to wear the right brand important matter: parents can be right in such a matter, they label? How do we deal with media in the home and elsewhere? can also be off beam. In other words: preconceived standpoints From what age is it “essential” for a child to have a smartphone? should be avoided. Power of judgement is required. We have Such evenings are refreshing above all because the class teacher to ask ourselves, is this a job for the whole of the college of does not appear there as the authority but develops perspectives teachers or do we find a group which will deal with such cases with parents which might be useful in daily life. on behalf of the college? In all such cases level-headedness and And at the end of the year we organise a year-end party for prompt action are required. A significant aid is what Steiner the parents at parents who have a nice garden at which we do called “moral imagination”. That means that in finding a solu- not speak about education but enjoy the fact that we can do tion for a problem I am always aware of both parties to the things together and have a good school year for the children conflict, in my moral I place myself in all the op- and pupils behind us. This creates a circle of mutual perception posing positions which exist and through flexible thinking and and trust. And if it should then happen that a fire breaks out a sense of the matter find ways to a solution. Many things are somewhere, there are many who are available and willing to too structured in schools in this respect. Approaching conflicts help to do what is necessary. in a structured way can help but it can equally entrench the It is not even worth mentioning that the “new” teacher has opposing positions and block a solution. The human measure all the means of communication which people use today. But should always apply. at the same time he will ask the school to draw up an “email Waldorf schools also have a social mission alongside their protocol” which is binding on the school and a protocol for the educational one. And that comes to expression in their attitude use of social media which sets out what is discussed between to social reality, to their social environment. The top of the list teachers and parents by electronic means and what is not. here is an open relationship with the parents. Even if parents This acts to prevent great collateral damage in interpersonal contradict all our educational ideals: they do not become communications. Keeping a regular eye on what appears about partners in education until they feel accepted by the school. pupils and the school on social media is recommended for the “Work with parents” can be a poisonous mixture of answers protection of pupils and the school. to questions which have not been asked, implicit demands It will become superfluous in future to say that it is above and unspoken accusations. It would be best to drop this awful all the virtue in the teacher of taking an interest which builds phrase. How about “communication based on partnership”? the bridge to the parents. A lot of Waldorf future depends on this: let us find the way to No understanding can arise before such a bridge is built the hearts of pupils and parents! and thus no collaboration. We should just consider that the “karmic will” of the child, our pupils, is expressed in the pa- rental home: I want to be with these parents! Criticism of this means calling the pupil into question. That is the new meaning of that terrible expression “work with parents”. Work with parents must not consist of wanting to convince parents that we are right. Work with parents, if we insist on continuing to use this phrase, should be the invitation to become partners in education via the bridge of interest – the parents out of love for their children, the teachers our of love for their profession and the children entrusted to their care. The parents are the natural educators, we the “societal” ones. A perfect partnership! Christof Wiechert

8 Lighting the Way for a More Human World: turned into a Waldorf kindergarten teacher who started his first Janpen and Porn Panosot - Waldorf kindergarten group in his living room. Alongside working in the kindergarten and looking after the Waldorf Pioneers in Thailand. twins who had meanwhile arrived, Janpen also began translating Nana Goebel, Berlin, Germany the works of Rudolf Steiner into Thai, making the texts available [First printed in Erziehungkunst, March 2014] to future pre-school and school teachers. Since the launch of http://www.erziehungskunst.de/en/article/waldorf-worldwide/ the kindergarten was meant to be a first step in a much larger lighting-the-way-for-a-more-human-world/#.VQHKafUD6Xc.email concept to transform the school system in Thailand, introduc- tory sessions were held at Chulalongkorn from 1996 The first Waldorf school in Thailand opened in 1996. onwards and a work relationship was built up with the faculty How did that come about? Janpen and Porn Panosot were both of early years education. students at Chulalongkorn University. Porn, who was born in ... and then to class teacher Sukhotai and grew up in non-privileged circumstances, received The kindergarten was followed in 1996 by a school and Porn a grant as a result of his excellent school results. Panosot became the class teacher of an initially very small group The two of them were already activists at university; after of children. The Panyotai Waldorf school was not recognised by the military coup they published one of the best-known under- the government because such a school type was not provided ground newspapers. In the late 1980s, Ingrid Liebig-Hundius for under the education act. So something had to be done. In accompanied her husband Harald Hundius, a professor of ori- 1998, Porn Panosot had the idea of the Network for Freedom ental studies at Passau University specialising in the mountain in Education which consisted of twenty individual groups. Dif- dialects of northern Thailand and Laos, on a research visit. ficult talks were held with the education ministry – successfully She had various conversations about education questions, as it turned out. The national education act adopted in 1999 both in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. During one of these meet- then actually did provide for greater freedom in the educa- ings a conversation developed with Janpen and Porn Panosot. tion system. The Network was expanded into the Alternative Both were already socially active during this period. At the time, Education Council and Porn Panosot was given the task by the Porn was working in a state hospital as a paediatrician. He was national education commission to prepare a study on alterna- responsible for the medical care of abused girls, helped in setting tive education worldwide as well as developing a concept for a up a shelter for abused children and became a founder member Waldorf teacher training seminar in Thailand. In 2000 he joined of the Child Protection Foundation which subsequently estab- a committee which was to draft the regulations for an alternative lished a home for up to a hundred children. school system. Living a contradiction was thus possible because, When he had learnt more about Waldorf education, the con- on the one hand, the Panosots were operating an illegal school viction grew in him that he wanted to strengthen the mental and while, on the other hand, Porn became an advisor to the educa- physical powers of resistance of the children preventively rather tion ministry in questions of school diversity and freedom in than only dealing with the after-effects. He saw such a possibility the education system. An article by Panosot in the Bangkok Post in Waldorf education. At the same time – and in looking for a suitable school for his own children – he discovered in it also an alternative to the system, the latter based on pure rote learning and severe competition. From paediatrician to kindergarten teacher ... Without further ado, the whole family decamped from Bangkok to the USA to study at the then Sunbridge College Waldorf teacher training in- stitute in Spring Valley north of New York. The family remained in the for four years and two further children were born before the family returned to Thailand in 1994. The paediatrician Porn and Janpen Panosot. 9 led to the establishment of a second Waldorf school in 2000 Porn developed the curriculum for Thai Waldorf schools. He which was called Tridhaksa and which continues to the present searched for fairy tale images for the lower classes, found sagas in day – even if under a different name. the Buddhist tradition, replaced stories about Roman emperors Illegal yet international with presentations of the great Chinese emperors, developed a In 2002, the school moved into a bigger building which was new concept for music teaching and adapted the curriculum to now able to accommodate all classes but it was still outside the the needs of the children of Thailand. law. The school, well-known far beyond Bangkok, remained Janpen and Porn Panosot have taken every opportunity illegal. The degree to which the Panyotai school had become fa- throughout the country to speak about Waldorf education and mous was illustrated when it was selected as one of five innovative with their involvement further Waldorf initiatives are being schools which were presented to the international participants established today in Chiang Mai, Khonkaen and other cities. at a state-organised education conference. Some conventional Janpen Panosot describes the joint impulse of the couple schools and kindergartens had meanwhile adopted methods of in the following words: “The light of Rudolf Steiner’ healing Waldorf education. But a new school had to be built, because the indications, which have guided our work with the children, existing school could not carry on in its temporary state. That, is nourishment for their growth and development and helps too, was a success because in the meantime so many enthusiastic them to become creative, morally responsible citizens of earth parents had joined that the required resources could be raised. who will in the future contribute to making the world a more In addition there was a loan from the sister, a teacher as well as human place.” considerable resources from the Friends of Waldorf education and a number of foundations. The new school building was inaugurated in 2007. The participants at the Asian Waldorf Teacher Conference were also present at the time and they could not get over their amazement at what had been created here. Chinese emperors instead of Germanic sagas After eight years, Porn Panosot turned into an teacher, sometimes teaching three classes simultaneously; biol- ogy in one, literature in another, and chemistry in the third. Janpen Panosot looked after the school administration, took care of all the correspondence, held parent meetings, gave courses, continued to work on translations and took care of everything else that accrued.

10 children’s education, compared to 2% in the UK. But the “tiger mom, wolf dad” approach to education is not without consequence. Chinese youth suffer higher levels of depression and lower self-esteem than their peers elsewhere. Last autumn, a 10-year-old boy in the city of Chengdu reportedly jumped 30 floors to his death after failing to write a 1,000-word letter of self- criticism demanded by his teacher. Perhaps in reaction to this phe- nomenon, China has seen a major expansion of alternative teaching establishments. These schools empha- size a holistic approach to education Headmaster Wei Yueling sits with students at his Waldorf school in Guangzhou. and use qualitative assessment methods, especially for kindergarten and primary The Rise of school students. While there are no official figures for the current number in China of alternative schools in China, headmaster Wei estimates that Johan Nylander, [for CNN, March 27, 2014] some 40 schools and as many as 500 kindergartens operate across the country. His own primary school and three kindergartens in Story highlights Guangzhou have about 300 students, each paying CNY40,000 When five-year-old Xiao Ge starts primary school in Guang- (US$6,500) a year, with 300 more queuing to get in. zhou next year, she won’t endure strict discipline and mountains Education for the whole family of homework. Unlike the school life of most children in China, Headmaster Wei Yueling gets playful with his students. her days will be filled with art, music and creative learning at a (Johan Nylander) private Waldorf school. For Lu Dan and her husband, their choice of school is about Xiao is part of a fast-growing number of Chinese children much more than their daughter’s education. The Waldorf phi- whose parents are turning their backs on the state-run educa- losophy can be embraced by the whole family. With a focus on tion system, which is based on rote learning and limited critical developing free-thinking and morally responsible individuals, thinking. Instead, they are choosing independently-run schools the humanistic Waldorf concepts offer a sense of relief from that use the Waldorf, Montessori, or Reggio Emilia . the purely materialistic lifestyle that many of the country’s new Despite a lack of regulation over these schools, parents prefer middle class have been caught up in. the humanistic approach of these classrooms and the perceived Two years ago, Lu attended a Waldorf workshop where she softer learning environment. met Wei. She recalls becoming immediately captivated by the “Compared with studying under the public system, my philosophy. daughter will get a healthier education and life here,” says Xiao’s “It was like a calling, like realizing your destiny,” Lu says. mother, Lu Dan, when we met at the Hairong Waldorf School “Waldorf became the start of a more relaxed and happier life.” Xiao is attending in the southeastern city of Guangzhou. One of the first things the family did was to get rid of their As we tour the school, headmaster Wei Yueling, casually television and computer games, which immediately opened up dressed in a tweed jacket and sneakers, playfully grabs one of plenty of time for “real life and real play,” says Lu. the students by the waist and spins her in the air, making other They are far from alone. Some 40 families have moved to the kids scream with laughter. At a state-run school, a similar scene area where the school is, creating a community for like-minded of student-teacher bonding would be next to unthinkable. people. Many parents volunteer for the school, which regularly Global attention hosts workshops on Waldorf education and related topics, often China has undeniably gained the world’s attention for out- featuring experts from abroad. standing academic performance. Shanghai’s 15-year olds lead Headmaster Wei studied the Waldorf pedagogy in 2007, after in mathematics, science and , as seen in the 2013 Pisa which he left his nine-year career as a photographer to open his survey by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and De- first kindergarten. He observes that many parents come to his velopment, rating the performance of children across 65 regions. school with a desire to change their lives, but not knowing how. Urban Chinese families are particularly invested in their “I speak to parents who don’t know how to play with their children’s education. Don Starr, a lecturer at Britain’s Durham children anymore. They just put them in front of the television University, points out in a research paper that these families screen,” he says. “Often the father is working so much and comes spend more than 30% of their household income on their home so late at night that the child hardly knows they live in

11 Light Ensemble: Observing and joining in in China Thomas Sutter, Arlesheim, Switzerland [First published in Worldwide 7-8/15]

Eurythmy students with Marc Büche (back left) and mem- bers of the Light Eurythmy Ensemble Arlesheim (back right). In April 2015, the Light Eurythmy Ensemble Arlesheim (CH) travelled to China in order to meet old friends and find new ones; mostly, however, in order to make eurythmy bet- ter known in China. The eurythmists performed in the cities the same apartment. After coming to our school they learn Guangzhou, Changsha, Qingdao and Beijing and experienced good ways to be with their children. They get more quality out how each performance turned into a family event. of life. Waldorf is a therapeutic form of education that can help People in China get to know eurythmy and anthroposophy the whole family.” through the Waldorf Schools and kindergartens. They are Doubts over authenticity parents who want to spare their children the experience of uni- Some say, however, that alternative schools are proliferating forms and drill at school. An incredible amount of enthusiasm out of control. There are few regulations around the growth of among the teachers and parents of small pioneering schools these private schools. The U.S.-based Montessori Foundation – often they only have four classes – has made it possible for and the Association of Waldorf Schools both offer online courses eurythmy to be experienced – through observation and joining for those interested in starting a school. Teacher education in – and to find its way into people’s hearts. In his workshops programs are also available involving at least one year of study. Marc Büche is often asked what pedagogical eurythmy and However, as the demand for these schools go up in China, eurythmy therapy are there for, what they can achieve and how some are hastily opened without a full understanding of the they are different from Tai Chi. Many of these questions were philosophy behind the brands. Gina Lofquist, the director of the Montessori education most easily answered by involving the participants actively. program at Xavier University in the U.S., sees the number of Waldorf Schools spring up like mushrooms in China, but Montessori schools explode in China, but doubts that there are they rarely have the necessary eurythmy teachers for children, enough qualified teachers to fill the new classrooms. parents and teachers! There is plenty to do here for eurythmists “I’ve been to so-called Montessori where there who are in search of work. This is certainly what Marc Büche was not a trace of Montessori material,” says Lofquist. “Instead, has experienced who is teaching eurythmy in Guangzhou. He they had a big flat screen television in the middle of the room, accompanied us on our tour, worked with us in our ensemble something that goes totally against our beliefs. There’s no way to and looked after the work groups. In Guangzhou twelve of train enough teachers for all those new schools. A lot of money his students gave a eurythmy presentation as an introduction is being made from these franchises but the parents are not get- to our performance. ting what they pay for.” Chinese translation The same situation can be seen at other private schools, The main purpose of our journey was to take part in the including Waldorfs, according to several teachers and parents first major anthroposophical conference in China – the “Bei- in Guangzhou and Hong Kong that we spoke with. jing Anthroposophical Conference and Celebration of the 5th Despite the growing interest in alternative education Anniversary of Beijing Spring Valley” which took place from forms, most Chinese parents are still reluctant to hop on the bandwagon. The biggest fear is that opting out of the state-run system will lower their child’s chances at passing the notorious “gaokao,” the national college entrance exam that determines which Chinese university a student will enter. Lu Ziwen, professor of English language at Central China Normal University and a member of the state English curriculum standard team, is far from convinced by alternative education. Less homework, he argues, is not the path to future success. “Many parents think that you should not let the child lose at the starting line,” he says, referring to a popular proverb. All this seems far removed from Xiao Ge who is happily playing on the swings in the school playground, unconcerned about future exams and career prospects. Instead, she is putting all her energy into being just a child.

12 29 April to 3 May 2015. It was organized by Yu Ningyuan in of the musicians Gotthard and Danae Killian that made this cooperation with Martin Barkhoff. Prominent speakers arrived tour possible for us. They also provided the musical accompa- from all over the world to give lectures and hold work groups. niment throughout our visit. The theme of the conference was “The Mission of Earth in the Fifth Cultural Era”. Contacts: [email protected], gjk@posteo. In every city on our tour we had several performances of de, [email protected] our children’s and evening programme. The programme (“Fire of Life”) was in English and included scenes from William Shakespeare’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” and music by Chopin, Schubert and Debussy. There had to be a humoresque, of course, and for this we had chosen Edward Lear’s “Four The First Kolisko Conference Limericks” – a piece that spoke to all ages. In China every in Malaysia performance is a great family event. All the texts were quickly translated into Chinese and read out before the performance. Sibylle Eichstaedt, London, England Impressed by the dimensions We were also able to be tourists for a little while: you can’t Somewhat to my own surprise, I am writing these lines from be in Beijing without seeing the Forbidden City (of the Impe- Kuala Lumpur where I have just attended – as a workshop rial Palace). You can walk for miles there, feasting your eyes on leader – the first Kolisko Conference ever held in Malaysia. I the unimaginable dimensions. Later we were overpowered by am so heartened and moved by what felt like a true Whitsun the experience of standing on the Great Wall. Thoughts arose experience that I would like to share a few impressions with you. The conference, which attracted 940 participants, was on in us of how much sweat went into this construction and how the theme of “Achieve Individual Health and Community many people had spent their entire lives there. Well-Being”. It was organized by a small group of enthusiastic The Great Wall is therefore not only there to protect China Malaysian-Chinese women, in collaboration with the Medical from enemies; it also provides a boundary for this enormous Section at the and with help from other sup- country that helps to retain a pure memory of Atlantean life porters. before the catastrophe. It allowed Chinese citizens over a long The Chinese population in Muslim-governed Malaysia is time to experience themselves in a dreamlike consciousness, a minority and makes up 22.6% of the population. It is here remembering the great cultural achievements at the end of the where the seeds of anthroposophy have landed in Malaysia with ancient Atlantean era. It was the commitment and organization the founding of the first kindergarten 18 years ago. There is only

13 a small handful of kindergartens and schools, a biodynamic farm and a growing number of doctors and health practitioners; the International Postgraduate Medical Training (IPMT) offered by the Medical Section worldwide has had its first few well- attended training modules in Malaysia. How did the small team of Kolisko Conference ‘miracle workers’ – all in their early 40s – manage to attract such a large number of people in a country where anthroposophy is hardly known? Three weeks before the conference started, numbers were only at about 300. It was decided that two of them would take two weeks off from their families and work and travel the country to speak to schools, Buddhist temples and corporations to tell them about “Kolisko”. Their enthusiasm and conviction were contagious: from then onwards enrolment and unexpected funding flowed abundantly! One businessman asked the team what they would do if they made a loss. When he heard that the women were going to mortgage their own homes rather than cancel the event he was so touched that he guaranteed that his company would cover any shortfall. The widespread good will was also visible through the large group of volunteer helpers. For example, the man who picked us up from the airport offered to be a driver whenever needed, tak- ing time off from his IT company and donating his services. “If the contributors give their time freely then I will do the same!” Most of those attending were new to anthroposophy and came from a wide range of backgrounds, including heads of schools and other teachers, Buddhist monks and nuns, busi- ness people and even a few politicians. Participants came not Some other Anthroposophical Newsletters only from Malaysia but from Singapore, Thailand, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, India, Saudi Arabia, and Anthroposophy Worldwide . http://www.goetheanum.org/Newsletter.aw.0.html?&L=1 The resounding success of this 4-day event was a very mov- Ardent ing testimony to people’s thirst for a practical spirituality that [email protected] can bring new insights and know-how to so many areas of Being Human life. Michaela Glöckler gave inspiring and accessible morning [email protected] and evening talks, and contributors from Europe, New Zea- Chanticleer land, America and Asia gave workshops on various aspects of http://www.berkshiretaconicbranch.org/chanticleer.php education, medicine, artistic therapies, health and social care, Journal for Steiner/Waldorf Education as well as the threefold social order. And [email protected] so the conference offered a broad introduction to the idea and New View practice of anthroposophy, all received with an enthusiasm that http://www.newview.org.uk/new_view.htm filled us, the visiting contributors, with awe and amazement. News Network Anthroposophy It remains to be seen what fruits the conference will bear in www.nna-news.org the lives and communities of those who attended. At the end of the workshop on the threefold social order, one business- Scope man said: “We are ready to change the world! We are ready to [email protected] make it a better place!” With this heart-felt call from the East to Southern Cross Review ‘change our ways’ I felt the spirit of this first Kolisko Conference http://southerncrossreview.org/ in Malaysia pointing to rich future possibilities. Sphere https://drive.google.com/file/ [email protected] d/0B7kBX1X8nZR1QV82Y2pBY3dYVkU/ The Sophia Sun view?usp=sharing http://www.anthroposophync.org/sophiaSun.htm

14 !

Eurasia!Foundation!and!Association!Newsletter!Summer!2015!

!

! ! Dear!members!and!friends!of!Eurasia! It!is!with!great!Joy!that!we!announce!the!official!opening!of!the!inclusive!Kindergarten!at! the! Peaceful! Bamboo! Family!:! Tinh! Truc! Gia=TTG!;! living! community! and! vocational! training!center!for!people!living!with!disabilities!in!Hue,!Vietnam.!We!started!officially! after! Têt,! with! 10! children,! 5! of! them,! living! with! disabilities,! and! we! already! have! a! waiting! list! for! the! coming! months.! After! the! summer! we! will! welcome! some! more! children.!This!Kindergarten!is!a!pilot!project!that!will!serve!as!a!training!center!for!Hue! City!Kindergarten!teachers!for!the!inclusion!of!children!living!with!disabilities.!A!group! of! architecture! students,! with! the! help! of! a! local! NGO,! ACCD,! built! a! wonderful! playground!on!a!voluntary!basis,!mainly!made!of!recycled!materials.! ! This!Kindergarten!is!perfectly!in!line!with!the!vision!of!Eurasia!for!the!coming!years.! ! In!the!past!17!years,!Eurasia!has!built!3!schools!for!children!with!severe!disabilities,!has! created!special!classes!in!7!primary!schools!in!Hue!City,!has!created!a!great!number!of! vocational!training!workshops!for!youngsters!living!with!disabilities,!a!home!for!elderly!The$Peaceful$Bamboo$Family=TTG$ and!dependent!ladies!and!finally:!!

TTG!is!a!living!community!for!young!adults!living!with!disabilities,!a!place!of!vocational! training,!with!the!attempt!to!create!incomeUgenerating!activities!with!people!living!with! disabilities.!In!TTG!we!have!the!first!biodynamic!garden!in!Vietnam,!and!now!the!new! inclusive! Kindergarten! with! early! detection! and! early! intervention! facilities.! Since! 17! years! Eurasia! has! conducted! a! great! number! of! ongoing! training! courses! in! special! education!and!social!therapy.!We!have!built!a!lot!of!infrastructures!to!create!adequate! facilities! for! people! living! with! disabilities.! Over! 700! children,! youngsters! and! adults! living! with! disabilities! could! be! integrated! into! society! through! education,! vocational! training,!by!the!various!Eurasia!projects.!We!know!that!our!main!task!now!is!to!make! these!projects!sustainable!by!focusing!on!«!capacity!building!»! ! In! order! to! do! this! we! now! want! to! build! on! our! experience! and! our! knowledge! by! creating! a! practical! and! theoretical! Training! Institute!:! «!The! EURASIA! LEARNING! INSTITIUTE:!ELI!»! 15 We! are! looking! for! partners! and! funding! to! help! us! develop! this! new! phase! that! is! a! natural!evolution!and!continuation!of!Eurasia’s!work!in!Vietnam,!but!we!could!also!link! it!to!other!similar!initiatives!in!Switzerland!and!abroad! ! A!new!phase!has!already!started!that!enables!us!to!expand!our!activities!to!the!overall! education!system!in!Vietnam!with!the!Call!2!Care!Program.!It!has!started!end!of!2014!in! partnership!with!the!Education!Department!of!Hue!Province,!MOET(Ministry!of!Ed.!and! Training!in!Hanoi)!Hue!University!and!Mind!&!Life!Institute.!This!program!introduces! Social! and! Emotional! Learning! (SEL)! Mindfulness! and! Compassion! into! regular! and! special!classes!in!Hue.!A!first!phase!has!been!completed!with!a!group!of!500!children.! The!first!results!are!very!promising!and!we!have!a!strong!commitment!of!the!education! department,! the! teachers,! children! and! their! parents! to! bring! this! program! further.! There!will!be!a!first!evaluation!of!the!program!this!summer.!We!are!looking!for!funds!for! a!next!phase!in!which!we!could!improve,!further!develop!and!test!this!new!curriculum!in! the!whole!Province!(about!400.000!children).!We!are!also!looking!into!a!collaboration! with!Geneva!and!Lausanne!!to!measure!the!impact!of!this!program!and!to! present!it!to!the!Ministry!in!Hanoi.!! ! Our!efforts!to!find!support!for!our!work!also!in!Vietnam,!is!slowly!bringing!fruits.!TTG! has!no!financial!support!from!Vietnamese!Government!and!is!dependent!on!their!small! production!and!income!generating!activities,!but!mainly!on!fundraising!through!Eurasia.! More! and! more! young! people,! local! NGO’s,! support! our! work! through! selling! our! products,!but!also!by!inviting!us!to!share!our!experience,!knowledge!to!a!wider!context! in! Vietnam.! Many! volunteers! from! Vietnam! and! abroad! want! to! learn! about! social! therapy,!biodynamic!farming,!a!lifestyle!respectful!towards!those!who!are!different,!who! are!in!need,!respectful!towards!nature!and!about!social!entrepreneurship.!TTG’s!mission! clearly!is!to!be!a!practical!training!Centre!for!ELI.!! ! The!new!land!of!our!biodynamic!garden!in!TTG!develops!new!projects:!medicinal!herbs,! a! seedUbank! in! order! to! contribute! to! the! biodiversity! and! to! generate! income! for! the! Center.! ! Khanh! the! Eurasia! representative! in! Vietnam,! develops! an! early! detection! and! early! intervention!office!in!Saigon!and!Hue.!He!is!giving!training!to!parents!and!educators!as! one!of!the!programs!of!ELI!(!Eurasia!Learning!Institute).!!

! Thank!you!so!much!for!your!faithful!For$your$Donationsand!precious!support!$: ! Please!do!help!us!to!develop!the!next!phase!of!Association$Eurasia$ Eurasia!! CCP$17?496738?5/$$! Banque$Cantonale$Vaudoise$Compte$987.86.01$ IBAN$CH78$0076$7000$A098$7860$

16 Biowork: The Quest for the Color emotionally stable individuals I had ever met. He didn’t need Green, the Light and the Resurrection counseling or therapy at all. “Umuwi ka na,” I told him, “wala ka namang problema (Go home, I told him, you really Susan F. Quimpo, Manila, Philippines don’t have any serious problems.). “ It was then when Buen posed a challenge, one I had never yet encountered with any client. He said: “Pero Tita Susan, sa trabaho ko bilang artist, gusto kong itanong, ‘what next?’ Saan na patungo ang trabaho ko (But in my work as an artist, I ask myself, ‘what’s next? In which direction is my work going?’)?” He struggled to tell me how difficult it was for him to remain true to his work, that it was a struggle to know one’s self amidst an art trade that entices commercialism. He showed me a picture of one of his landscape oil paintings; in it a majestic tree stretched its limbs towards the sky. But step back and one realizes that the tree’s base is littered with various paint smudges. Step back even more, and the paint smudges turn into human forms, sprawled on the ground, in death poses. This was Buen’s rendition of the Ampatuan massacre. *This was Buen’s statement of protest. This was the artist that Buen felt he had lost touch with in recent years despite his so-called “success” in the art scene. I was stunned. I teased Buen that I readily knew what to do with clients who were suffering from cancer, Parkinson’s disease or depression. But how does a counselor/therapist guide an artist in articulating where his art was going? None- Buen Calubayan, Landscape Eternal 4, 2012, Oil on canvas, theless it was a unique opportunity to share Buen’s “journey” 48” x 48” of self expression. One of the paintings of visual and performance artist Buen Calubayan was recently sold by Christie’s for US$20,000. A recipient of several prestigious awards in the Philippine art scene, Buen has been mounting “sold out” exhibits of his work for the last two years. But as Buen painted, exhibited and sold, his “demons of uncertainty” began to haunt him. “What next?,” was a question he secretly grappled with. Our children both attended Kolisko Waldorf School in Manila and that is how we met. While his seven-year-old conquered the playground’s monkey bars, Buen approached me to ask if he could see me professionally to seek counseling. A few weeks later, Buen came for his first art therapy ses- sion with me. I asked him why he was coming for therapy. His answer was: “Gusto kong ma-validate kung okay na ba ako. (I want to validate if I’m okay.).” Initially, I thought, like most of my clients, he perhaps was currently or had recently dealt with health issues, or perhaps a traumatic or tumultuous period in his life. Thus, our first two sessions were diagnostic. It was then I first noticed that he could not paint green. He then said that he was color blind with certain colors, the latter appearing to be differing tones of grey. Between paintings, we would talk and I would ask him about his life, and it wasn’t an easy one he had. But Buen had a wry sense of humor that mirrored his pragmatic views. By our second session, it was clear that, not only was Buen “okay,” but that he was perhaps one of the most focused and One of Buen’s rainbow painting exercises.

17 Painting Rainbows First, I drew on the healing power of archetypes, and like most of my clients, required Buen to steadily read a good translation of the classic German fairy tales collected by the Grimm brothers. I also asked him to make a habit of painting the rainbow colors on one page by mixing the three primary colors red, yellow and blue. Using the wet-on-wet technique -- that of painting diluted watercolor on wet paper -- was “lib- erating” said Buen whose painting medium was predominantly oil. When he mentioned he had digestion problems, I thought perhaps this may partly be due to the hardening consistency of oil paint which he used daily. So I had him paint several pages of watercolor orange to help his metabolism. I learned that the color orange, like the fruits bearing this color -- papaya and oranges -- was good for digestion. And yes, I told him, art heals... even digestion. Initially Buen’s rainbows had very weak secondary colors - orange, green and violet. After several rainbow paintings, the orange and violet became more evident, but despite repeated exercises, Buen’s rainbow still had hardly any green. To an art therapist, color blindness may be an indication of a soul quality that needs to be tapped and developed. I decided to have Buen experience the “soul qualities” behind the colors of the rainbow to have him subconsciously Crossing the Brook, Joseph Mallord William Turner 1815. explore his relationship with colors. Iris Sullivan, one of my teachers in art therapy, had us do a series of soft pastel exercises, working with each of the colors of the rainbow. Another mentor, Mara Evans, had taught our art therapy class the use of colors and themes to probe and heal problem areas in one’s biography. I guided Buen through pastel exercises exploring the colors magenta, carmine, vermillion, and added watercolor exercises copying JMW Turner’s landscapes in predominantly yellow and orange. British painter JMW Turner’s impressionist style exhibits a burst of color hues with little or barely recognizable forms. I was enthused that Buen knew of and was inspired by Turner’s style, and was excited with the prospect of recreating the latter’s work. When Buen and I got to the color green, I asked him to copy a Turner painting that was predominantly green in color. Buen’s rendition baffled me; dark shades of brown and black were in areas that were supposed to be viridian. I felt I needed to introduce “green” to Buen; intuitively I felt green and the soul qualities it embodied were Buen’s stumbling blocks. In the quest for “green,” I had Buen create a chalk pastel painting using the colors turquoise, pink and a golden yellow, the combination of which were to elicit the “feeling” of green, at least that was what my mentors had told us. I then asked if Buen was familiar with the work of Matthias Grunewald, particularly the painting of the Resurrection of Christ on the panel from the Isenheim Altarpiece. In 1515, the German painter Grunewald was commissioned to paint an altarpiece for the hospital chapel of Saint Anthony’s monastery in Isenheim, Alsace in France. The resulting piece was a multi- Buen's interpretation of Turner's Crossing the Brook. layered polyptych which resembled double cupboards, with

18 Matthias Grünewald, The Resurrection panel from the Isenheim Altar. Buen's Resurrection. each panel opening to show a scene from the life of Christ. A archetypes came to the fore and facilitated discussions about grotesque scene of a horrific Crucifixion was the centerpiece; his immediate family, old hurts and new projects. One short and to its side was a painting of the resurrection of Christ. tale, The Golden Keybarely a half-book-page long, was one of What I found remarkable about the altarpiece was that it was Buen’s favorites. The story was a simple one: a little boy was created for a hospital where soldiers, maimed and dismem- digging through the snow for twigs and branches to be used as bered by the medieval wars, viewed the twisted, scourged and firewood. He finds a golden key, and thinks that where there bloodied wounds of Christ. Perhaps, the wounded drew solace is a key, there is a lock that it opens. Sure enough, he soon and equanimity with the visual reminder that Christ too had found a wooden box and key was a perfect fit for its lock. The suffered and died from bodily wounds, and the promise of boy turns the key and the story ends, challenging the reader resurrection was enough to console the dying. to imagine what wonders the box holds. Grunewald’s Resurrection unmistakably had a gall bladder Buen drew two versions of the box mentioned in The Gold- green quality to it. “Green is the color of the Resurrection,” I en Key. And after a discussion of his rendition of Grunewald’s recalled one of my teachers say as she showed us the Grunewald Resurrection, I asked him to draw the box anew but this time slide. It was the “green” of the resurrection that I wanted to show its contents. “Don’t think about it, just paint!” I Buen to experience. I asked Buen to google then copy the challenged Buen because he had a tendency to agonizingly renaissance painting. “think through” his art. And so, clutching the paintbrush like The following week, Buen came with his interpretation of a toddler would clenchfist a crayon, Buen treated watercolor the resurrection painting. And remarkably, Buen’s rendition pigment like oil paint, soiling both brush and his fingers, of Christ had a distinctively green halo! Buen could now see quickly moving his hands like he was conducting a 70-piece green. orchestra. When I perused the result -- both Buen and I were A Golden Key unlocks Liwanag amused. Golden light streamed out of the unlocked box, and For his “homework,” Buen continued to pick Grimms’ Buen looked at me and said,” Tita, liwanag ang laman (Light fairytales to read and draw before bedtime. As expected, the is what’s inside)!” 19 cialized even by the price-driven art trade, and would remain intact regardless of how much his paintings were sold for. Excitedly I asked Buen if he had ever been to Mount Banahaw, a verdant mountain south of Manila which locals believed to be sacred. No, he replied. Then you must go, I said. For some 10 years I led annual pilgrimages to Banahaw, bringing Filipino American college students to experience for themselves what Filipino spirituality was about. I urged Burn, “Go to Banahaw as a pilgrim; go into the Rizalista chapels where the Filipino revolutionary heroes were seen as God’s finest examples of what human beings could become. Go with honest questions, enter each cave or pwesto (holy station) with reverence knowing that the Katipuneros were once there, crawling through the tight crevices in an act of purification, and in search of their own definition of liwanag.” Buen did. And I knew that the mountain Banahaw would speak to him, like it did me, and many others. Buen sliced up Ileto’s book soon after his Banahaw trip, to tediously weave each page, each sentence, each word into a hammock. My historian friend Vicente Rafael came last semester to teach a course on nationalism at Ateneo, and Buen dutifully came with me to sit-in in the classes. At the end of each three-hour Rafael class, our heads would spin, and Buen and I further discussed how nations were imagined, and how cultural boundaries were inordinate for a couple more hours at some cafe. And Buen would stare into space, wondering how he would translate these all onto his canvas. Finally, when Buen was beginning to paint his Banahaw series, he came to my therapy room again, saying he had trouble “articulating” how he felt about Banahaw. “Stop The Golden Key: Buen’s painting of the box closed, the box thinking with your head, think with your heart!,” I nearly with overgrown flowers and the open box with Liwanag (Light). yelled at him. Through guided meditation, I led him through Banahaw again. Instinctively my eyes were drawn to the copy of Reynaldo With his eyes closed, Buen’s consciousness walked the Ileto’s Pasyon and Rebolusyon, which I noticed Buen had been trail anew, reading the marker about Macario Sakay’s Tagalog toting for weeks. He had been read- ing Filipino cultural historians Ileto and Vicente Rafael’s The Promise of the Foreign. It was no coincidence then that Ileto’s dissertation on the Katipunan had repeatedly defined the “liwanag,” as a soul quality, a prerequisite to bringing about indi- vidual and societal change.** Buen and I were enthused; we both intuitively knew that the “what next?” question had been answered. It was the soul quality of liwanag (light) as experienced by the Kati- puneros that brought light, healing, revolutionary change and perhaps even the resurrection that Buen sought for his work. It was this soul quality that could not be commer- Scene of Banahaw, the end of Buen’s quest.

20 the resurrection. Plus, of course, a novel but effective cure for Buen’s poor digestion.

* Ampatuan massacre -- In November 2009, in Magu- indanao, southernmost Philippines, the pregnant wife and relatives of Esmael Mangudadatu were on their way to file his candidacy for the local gubernatorial elections. Carloads of journalists, lawyers and aides joined the Mangdudadatus. All 58 persons who joined the convoy were kidnapped, tor- tured, some raped, then all murdered. The prime suspects are members of the powerful Ampatuan clan, political rivals of the Mangudadatu. The case is still on-going. **TheKatipunan was the movement that led the revolution against 300years of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. The guiding principle of the Katipuunan was that its members had to go through a personal process of cleansing and spiritual enlightenment before they could affect societal change.

Other painting exercises by Buen Calubayan. Republic. Macario Sakay and his band of Katipuneros, desper- ately held on to hard-sought freedom even as the Americans won its imperialist trust into the Philippines soon after the demise of colonial power Spain. Here in Banahaw, the last bastion of freedom for the Filipino fighters, Sakay and his men were betrayed, captured and executed by the Americans in 1907. In meditation Buen went through time and space until he met others, some in the pin-stripped blue and white garb of the Katipunan soldier, who too walked the trail. And there Buen asked, “Nakita n’yo ba si Macario Sakay (Have you seen Macario Sakay?)?” When Buen opened his eyes, I gave him chalk pastels and paper. And with his characteristic arms-swinging, conductor- like movements, fingers running color from the page onto the table, knees flexing, feet shifting -- Buen painted. And there on the page, was his map of Banahaw. The Holy Mountain had spoken to him, again. Buen’s resulting exhibit, with the careful chronography of Buen’s work, is his journey to finding his own Liwanag. I am equally amazed at the twist and turns of Buen’s journey: how Susan F. Quimpo is an author, art therapist, and biography we drew from simple color exercises, archetypes and fairytales; counselor. She may be reached at [email protected]. to the study of the Western art of Grunewald and JMW The artwork Buen completed during his art therapy/counseling Turner; then diving deep into the historical treatises of Ileto sessions is included in , an exhibit and Rafael, and finally to a pilgrimage to a holy mountain. Biowork: Buen Calubayan All these have profoundly ushered Buen, and me (vicariously!) that ran from February 24 through April 30, 2015 at the Ateneo through a sleuth-like quest for the color green, the light and Art Gallery, Ateneo de Manila University, Manila, Philippines.

21 Marilyn Monroe and Rudolf Steiner of My Life”, Marilyn was reading at the time. Dame Edith was Bradford Riley, Atlanta, Georgia, USA to remark later on Marilyn’s ‘extreme intelligence’” [First printed at blog anthropopper, September 15, 2014] In Dame Edith Sitwell’s autobiography Taken Care Of, she tells of her meeting with ‘Miss Marilyn Monroe’, who she describes as quiet, with great natural dignity and extremely intel- ligent. She was also, she said, extremely sensitive. Dame Edith tells of a magazine article that she was commissioned to write about her visit to Hollywood and this included a face-to-face encoun- ter with Miss Monroe, who she suspected the magazine moguls thought would hate one another on sight. They were mistaken. ‘On the occasion of our meeting she wore a green dress and, with her yellow hair, looked like a daffodil. We talked mainly, as far as I remember, about Rudolf Steiner, whose works she had just been reading. In repose her face was at moments strangely, prophetically tragic, like the face of a beautiful ghost – a little spring-ghost, an innocent fertility daemon, the vegetation spirit that was Ophelia.’ Photo courtesy of Harpers Bazaar Tom Mellett, a former Steiner teacher in the USA, has added the following comments: Was Marilyn Monroe an anthroposophist? Intriguingly, the “While living in Spring Valley in 1980, I had the good fortune following quotation is taken from a biography of Marilyn Monroe of meeting the person who had sent Marilyn that copy of Steiner’s called “Norma Jean: the Life of Marilyn Monroe,” by Fred Law- autobiography as well as a number of other Steiner books and rence Guiles, published by McGraw-Hill Book Company, New lecture cycles that Marilyn requested over a ten year period from York in 1969. It appears on pages 331-332 of the 333-page book. the Anthroposophical Library, then located at 211 Madison Av- “Some years before her death (in Dec. ’64), Dame Edith enue in New York City. I speak of the late Agnes Macbeth, wife (Sitwell) had spent a winter in Hollywood. A meeting between of the late Norman Macbeth (author of “Darwin Retried”). Agnes the poet and Marilyn was arranged by a monthly magazine. It worked for the library during the 1950’s, handling book requests was thought their ‘opposite’ personalities would throw off some and she vividly remembers the letters Marilyn posted asking for journalistic sparks. No one could have foreseen that they would various lecture cycles. And although Marilyn had a reputation for become immediate friends, nor could anyone have known that tardiness and irresponsibility on her movie sets, Agnes assured their deaths would be marked in an almost identical way — while me that Marilyn was very conscientious and punctual with her their legends were growing in their lifetimes, they had been taken returns of the books. seriously by too few, too late. Marilyn Monroe was introduced to Steiner’s writings and “By the time she met Dame Edith, Marilyn had come a long lectures by her favou rite drama teacher, Michael Chekhov (1890- way. If she had not been moving in an atmosphere — much of 1955), nephew of the playwright Anton, and fellow director it self-created — so removed from her beginning, they might with Stanislavsky in the Moscow Art Theatre early in the 20th have had nothing in common. But when the introductions were century. Marilyn was introduced to Chekhov in 1951 by one of over, these new and unlikely friends were left alone and began his devoted students, the American character actor Jack Palance. talking of Rudolf Steiner, whose personal history, “The Course Marilyn opened herself like a sponge to water to Chekhov’s ap- proach to theatre, which was so deeply influenced by Steiner that Chekhov left Stanislavsky’s method behind. And Marilyn opened herself very deeply to anthroposophy, not because she felt it would please her teacher, but Chekhov felt that it was one of the only times in her life that Marilyn did something out of her own free inner being. The tragedy of Marilyn Monroe is that she opened herself up too much and became a slave, not only of the studio bosses, but also the expectations of a world that focused on her as such a fantasy object. Yet deep inside her inner being, which no one in the media and our popular culture even believed she possessed, she spent the last 10 or 11 years of her tortured life cultivating the delicate plant of anthroposophy.”

Edith Sitwell and Marilyn Monroe, 1953 Photograph by George Silk/LIFE © Time Inc.

22 Australia's most famous Anthroposophist Sydney Harbor two decades later. honored in her native Chicago The Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society in north suburban Chicago gave enthusiastic support for the naming Trevor Lee, Canberra, Australia of Marion Mahony Griffin Beach and Park, writing: “For the residents of Rogers Park, especially the young On 9 May 2015, Marion Mahony Griffin was honored people, the beaches and parks along Lake Michigan are an by the naming of a park in the suburb where she lived for important element in giving the neighborhood its distinctive the last stage of her life. With her husband Walter Burley character. The naming of one of the beaches for Marion Ma- Griffin, Marion was co-designer of Australia’s national capi- hony Griffin will keep before beachgoers the model of a vastly tal, Canberra, after a worldwide competition in 1912. Even talented woman who not only broke down barriers by entering before then, Marion had achieved prominence by graduating a field still today dominated by men but became one of the in Architecture at the Massachusetts foremost innovators of the twentieth century. Furthermore, (MIT) in 1884 and becoming the first female licensed archi- she will be celebrated as an artist in a neighborhood that has tect in the state of Illinois and among the first so qualified become a home to many contemporary artists.” anywhere in the world. She was then highly prized in the of- Marion and Walter moved to Melbourne, Victoria, then the fice of Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park and was instrumental interim capital of Australia, shortly after winning the interna- in holding that office together when Wright infamously ran tional design competition for the Federal Capital (it was not off to Europe with the wife of a client. We don’t know when named Canberra until a foundation stone ceremony in March Marion and Walter met and they would have known of each 1913) and moved to Sydney in 1925 after severing all further other before the turn of the century through the architectural involvement in Canberra’s development. There they became circles that later became known as “The Prairie School”. But it active in Anthroposophy while developing the then virgin was in Wright’s office that they are first known to have worked suburb of Castlecrag designing many of the houses built there. together. In that context she courted Walter with canoeing Marion joined the General Anthroposophical Society in 1930 picnics, an activity they took up again on the stable waters of and they split as a couple shortly after and Marion returned to family in Chicago. Walter joined the Society in 1931 and coaxed Marion back to Castlecrag by visiting Chicago in 1932. But the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and the slump in world wheat and wool prices that followed brought the Great De- pression to Australia as it did to most to the then developed world. Sales of blocks dried up in Castlecrag as did building design commissions; so Walter moved to Lucknow, India, in October 1935 – the same year that Marion joined the First Class in March. Much of their correspondence from that separation has survived1 and it includes references to Marion, a German speaker, sending Walter her own translations of several of Rudolf Steiner’s writings. Fourteen of her esoteric books have been found in June 2015 in the Society’s Chicago Branch library and will now be studied by Griffin scholars for their extensive underlinings and marginalia. It was not until mid 1936 that Marion acceded to his pleas and joined Walter in Lucknow where, tragically, he died of peritonitis on 11 February the following year. As a widow, Marion returned briefly to Castlecrag but was not happy there without Walter and returned to family in Chi- cago in 1938 “to follow out this Steiner teaching” where she remained until her death on 10 August, 1961, at the age of 90. She was cremated and interred in Chicago’s Graceland Cem- etery. Sadly, other than that she addressed the Illinois Society of Architects in 1940 including much about Anthroposophy in her address, little is known of her engagement after that. Marion Mahony Griffin ‘s influence in American Anthro- posophy continued through Walter’s sister Genevieve. Gen- evieve and her husband, architect Roy Lippincott, moved from Walter and Marion Mahony Griffin Melbourne to Auckland, New Zealand, where they joined the

23 First Class of the School of Spiritual Science but returned to A Modern American Fairy Tale: Public the USA as war with Japan loomed and established the Santa Charter Schools in the USA Barbara Steiner School in California. Their daughter, Alstan Lippincott, founded the Waldorf School in Los Angeles, pur- By Martyn Rawson, Kiel, Germany chasing the site and naming it after her anthroposophical alma [First printed in Erziehungkunst, June 2014] http://www. mater in the UK, Highland Hall. And Alstan’s niece, Betsy erziehungskunst.de/en/article/waldorf-worldwide/a-modern- Barriclow, worked at Highland Hall for a time and went on to american-fairy-tale/#.VQHJHcbEq2g.email join the Class and found the Tara Performing Arts High School in Boulder Colorado. Alstan was also an accomplished painter and several of her works have ended up with the Christian The numbers of Waldorf-inspired charter and public Community in Sacramento. She married a Christian Com- schools are rapidly rising in the USA. In the past, the association munity priest later in life and became Alstan Hegg. of privately-financed Waldorf schools has tended to view this model with some scepticism. Martyn Rawson reports about Marion Mahony Griffin’s drawing of the city plan for Canberra, current developments. capital of Australia.

The Chicago honoring of Marion follows the November 2013 renaming of a prominent Canberra landmark in her honor. Speaking at the unveiling of a full-size reproduction of Mrs Griffin’s watercolor rendering, credited as having a central role in the plan’s selection, the then Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory, Katy Gallagher, said the renaming righted a historic wrong. ‘’The significance of the injustice lies in the fact that the visionary Canberra plan was truly a collaborative venture,’’ she said. ‘’This is a very public way of acknowledging the role she played and the fact that her beautiful drawings were central to Walter’s winning of the competition.’’ Three class 10 pupils are walking about the school playground. One of them has her eyes covered and the other two are moving around her clapping their hands. The senses have just been dealt with in main lesson and the three of them are experimenting with using their hearing for orientation. What is special about this scene is the fact that they dare to move about the playground alone with their covered eyes. A few years ago that would have been impossible in this school. Violence, bullying and drug dealing were part of everyday life in the school playground. Large musclemen with loud voices, security guards, called after pupils: “Git inta class!” and ensured that they hurried as quickly as possible from one class to the The Chief Minister Katy Gallagher and Dr David Headon at the next so that they did not have time for illegal activities. renaming of the Mt Ainslie viewing platform to Marion Mahony The school described here was one of the worst schools in Griffin View. (Photo: Jay Cronan. Text: excerpted from the report California. It was, as Principal Allegra Allessandri said, a failed by Patrick Carmody of The Canberra Times) school. In the meantime the George Washington Carver School of Arts and Science, a “Waldorf-inspired High School”, wins 1. Her extensive memoirs of over 1,000 pages of type- prizes for the quality of its learning and the school’s perfor- script and illustrations have been web-published by the Art mance as a whole. An exhibition in the foyer presents pupil Institute of Chicago under her chosen title of “The Magic of projects of impressive quality on the theme of poverty in the America”. http://www.artic.edu/magicofamerica/ district of Sacramento in which the school lies. I visited a class 9 which was just rehearsing a play. It was an adaptation of a fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. A tower of tattooed boys of various origins represents a tree, below that pupils were skipping with a rope. The girls had plenty

24 dollars per year for each pupil. Many Waldorf teachers (also in public Wal- dorf elementary schools) cannot afford to send their own children to a private Waldorf upper school. In a country like the USA, education reflects the social structures pretty accurately. Private schools simply cater for a dif- ferent clientele, namely families from the higher social classes. Charter and public schools, in contrast, serve the people who live in the vicinity of the school. That gives rise to quite differ- ent tasks. Private or public – the current divide The number of Waldorf-inspired schools with a public mandate and public funding (charter schools) or state schools with a Waldorf profile (Waldorf public schools) is steadily of makeup on, wore miniskirts and were attempting to jump growing. There are meanwhile 52 over the swinging rope. public and Waldorf-inspired charter schools in the USA. In In class 12 I was able to observe a discussion about symp- 1990 it was three, of which two have meanwhile ceased to tomatology in cultural history. A lively debate was going on exist. Another five schools have been added to the tally this about the idea of reality in the Middle Ages. Another class year. Forty-four of these schools are members of the Alliance was composing a sonnet with a precise number of syllables for Public Waldorf Education (APWE). and rhymes. It continues to be a controversial subject whether or not The school has been transformed in the last six years under these schools should be allowed to use the designation Waldorf. the dynamic leadership of Ms Allessandri, herself a former None of them are on the world list of Waldorf schools. The Waldorf pupil and teacher. With the help of experienced Wal- Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA), dorf colleagues, she introduced the methods and curriculum the association for private Waldorf schools, refuses to recog- of Waldorf education. Since then the school playground has nise them. The German Association of Waldorf Schools only developed into a place of recuperation, peace and meaningful recently reaffirmed that AWSNA alone had the name rights activity – a school garden was also created which provides fresh to “Waldorf” and “Steiner” in North America. Thus AWSNA produce each day. One boy, who until then was deemed to be determines which schools may call themselves Waldorf and too difficult to educate and not far off a criminal career, builds which may not. So far AWSNA has taken the view that Waldorf beautiful wooden benches and looks after the playground. schools should not be allowed to receive money from the state The story in Carver is a true fairy tale of modern America. because that would restrict their autonomy. According to this There are, however, also restrictions. All the teachers have to criterion, most Waldorf schools in Europe, including Germany, be members of the teaching trade union which prevents them in Australia and New Zealand would not be proper Waldorf from giving continuous main lessons. Teaching is restricted schools either because they receive state funding. by the trade union in order to protect teachers because of the Private and public Waldorf schools in dialogue high number of teaching hours and the great stress associated Two years ago I met Will Stapp, the president of APWE with teaching – both normal in schools. One benefit of this in my working group in Dornach during the world teach- situation is that teachers are well paid and, very important in ers’ conference. We fell into conversation. The result was the the USA, benefit from good welfare provision – and certainly invitation for me to visit the USA. Meanwhile the leadership significantly better than for Waldorf teachers in the indepen- of AWSNA is engaged in constructive dialogue with the Alli- dent Waldorf schools. ance. At a local level, the relations between private and public The curriculum and teaching in Carver, as in the other Waldorf schools appear to be collegial and friendly, certainly schools I visited, can be placed within the spectrum of a normal in California and the south-west of the USA, something which Waldorf school, in small towns to the same extent as in city will make an approach at association level easier. The caution schools. Parents do not have to pay school fees. The school fees on both sides is understandable since there are real differences in private Waldorf schools range between 17,000 and 28,000 and tensions between the private and public Waldorf schools

25 which are not easy to overcome. But their common educational Why America's Obsession with STEM interests are more important. (Science, Technology, Engineering, Teacher training situation Both associations are already working together in teacher M a t h e m a t i c s ) E d u c a t i o n i s D a n g e r o u s training. The Rudolf Steiner College in Sacramento has set up Fareed Zakaria, [First printed in the Washington Post, March 26] an accredited Masters programme for teachers in the public and charter schools. The lecturers are experienced Waldorf colleagues. Betty Staley, for example, has been a Waldorf teacher for over 50 years and is the author of a classic in Wal- dorf literature on adolescent education. The programme can partly be completed online with the use of webinars (Internet seminars) as the students are spread across the whole continent including Alaska and Hawaii. Many of the students who will in future work in public and charter schools learn in other training centres where they meanwhile make up the larger part of the student body. What constitutes Waldorf? I visited a total of eight public Waldorf schools in Califor- nia. Class visits and conversations with teachers left me with the impression that these schools do indeed practice Waldorf. Are Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos (Photos by Getty Images and AFP) these schools really Waldorf? And what ultimately constitutes Waldorf? I have visited Waldorf schools in many countries and If Americans are united in any conviction these days, it is believe I can recognise what constitutes Waldorf quality and the that we urgently need to shift the country’s education toward essence of Waldorf. I do not share the view that fulfilling the the teaching of specific, technical skills. Every month, it seems, Waldorf curriculum, traditional forms of self-administration or we hear about our children’s bad test scores in math and sci- externalities such as a hand-carved wooden sign are the essential ence — and about new initiatives from companies, universities criteria. As someone who concerns himself a lot internation- or foundations to expand STEM courses (science, technology, ally with the Waldorf curriculum, I see too much culturally- engineering and math) and deemphasize the humanities. From determined content and have too many question concerning President Obama on down, public officials have cautioned the archetypal image of child and adolescent development. A against pursuing degrees like art history, which are seen as working group in the Pedagogical Section at the Goetheanum is expensive luxuries in today’s world. Republicans want to go working on Waldorf essentials which will shortly be published. several steps further and defund these kinds of majors. “Is Only then will we have a basis for making a judgement on what it a vital interest of the state to have more anthropologists?” really constitutes a Waldorf school. asked Florida’s Gov. Rick Scott. “I don’t think so.” America’s Schools with principals last bipartisan cause is this: A liberal education is irrelevant, Charter and public Waldorf schools have to accept all chil- and technical training is the new path forward. It is the only dren who register and give them an education. They also have way, we are told, to ensure that Americans survive in an age school principals who have to exercise clear leadership tasks. defined by technology and shaped by global competition. The Without such leading personalities, schools such as Carver stakes could not be higher. would hardly be able to manage their tasks in the available This dismissal of broad-based learning, however, comes time. All schools which I visited endeavour to develop their from a fundamental misreading of the facts — and puts Amer- education on a collegiate basis but are led as a rule both educa- ica on a dangerously narrow path for the future. The United tionally and administratively by experienced Waldorf teachers. States has led the world in economic dynamism, innovation I must admit in all honesty that I was a little jealous when I and entrepreneurship thanks to exactly the kind of teaching we met these school principals and experienced their passion and are now told to defenestrate. A broad general education helps professionalism in the endeavour to assure the highest quality foster critical thinking and creativity. Exposure to a variety of Waldorf teaching in their schools. of fields produces synergy and cross fertilization. Yes, science and technology are crucial components of this education, but Martyn Rawson is the author of several books about Waldorf so are English and philosophy. When unveiling a new edition and co-editor of the English-language curriculum which has of the iPad, Steve Jobs explained that “it’s in Apple’s DNA meanwhile been translated into 18 languages. He has worked in that technology alone is not enough — that it’s technology the collegium of the Pedagogical Section in Dornach. Today he married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that teaches at the Elmshorn Free Waldorf School and the Kiel Teacher yields us the result that makes our hearts sing.” Training Seminar. Innovation is not simply a technical matter but rather one

26 of understanding how people and societies work, what they like young countries, with energy and dynamism. All three need and want. America will not dominate the 21st century are open societies, happy to let in the world’s ideas, goods and by making cheaper computer chips but instead by constantly services. And people in all three nations are confident — a reimagining how computers and other new technologies characteristic that can be measured. Despite ranking 27th interact with human beings. and 30th in math, respectively, American and Israeli students For most of its history, the United States was unique in of- came out at the top in their belief in their math abilities, if fering a well-rounded education. In their comprehensive study, one tallies up their responses to survey questions about their “The Race Between Education and Technology,” Harvard’s skills. Sweden came in seventh, even though its math rank- Claudia Goldin and Lawrence Katz point out that in the 19th ing was 28th. century, countries like Britain, France and Germany educated Thirty years ago, William Bennett, the Reagan-era secre- only a few and put them through narrow programs designed tary of education, noticed this disparity between achievement to impart only the skills crucial to their professions. America, and confidence and quipped, “This country is a lot better at by contrast, provided mass general education because people teaching self-esteem than it is at teaching math.” It’s a funny were not rooted in specific locations with long-established line, but there is actually something powerful in the plucky trades that offered the only paths forward for young men. And confidence of American, Swedish and Israeli students. It allows the American economy historically changed so quickly that them to challenge their elders, start companies, persist when the nature of work and the requirements for success tended others think they are wrong and pick themselves up when to shift from one generation to the next. People didn’t want they fail. Too much confidence runs the risk of self-delusion, to lock themselves into one professional guild or learn one but the trait is an essential ingredient for entrepreneurship. specific skill for life. My point is not that it’s good that American students fare That was appropriate in another era, the technologists poorly on these tests. It isn’t. Asian countries like Japan and argue, but it is dangerous in today’s world. Look at where South Korea have benefitted enormously from having skilled American kids stand compared with their peers abroad. The workforces. But technical chops are just one ingredient needed most recent international test, conducted in 2012, found that for innovation and economic success. America overcomes its among the 34 members of the Organization for Economic disadvantage — a less-technically-trained workforce — with Cooperation and Development, the United States ranked other advantages such as creativity, critical thinking and an 27th in math, 20th in science and 17th in reading. If rank- optimistic outlook. A country like Japan, by contrast, can’t do ings across the three subjects are averaged, the United States as much with its well-trained workers because it lacks many comes in 21st, trailing nations such as the Czech Republic, of the factors that produce continuous innovation. Poland, Slovenia and Estonia. Americans should be careful before they try to mimic Asian In truth, though, the United States has never done well educational systems, which are oriented around memoriza- on international tests, and they are not good predictors of our tion and test-taking. I went through that kind of system. It national success. Since 1964, when the first such exam was has its strengths, but it’s not conducive to thinking, problem administered to 13-year-olds in 12 countries, America has solving or creativity. That’s why most Asian countries, from lagged behind its peers, rarely rising above the middle of the Singapore to South Korea to India, are trying to add features pack and doing particularly poorly in science and math. And of a liberal education to their systems. Jack Ma, the founder of yet over these past five decades, that same laggard country China’s Internet behemoth Alibaba, recently hypothesized in has dominated the world of science, technology, research a speech that the Chinese are not as innovative as Westerners and innovation. because China’s educational system, which teaches the basics Consider the same pattern in two other highly innovative very well, does not nourish a student’s complete intelligence, countries, Sweden and Israel. Israel ranks first in the world allowing her to range freely, experiment and enjoy herself while in venture-capital investments as a percentage of GDP; the learning: “Many painters learn by having fun, many works United States ranks second, and Sweden is sixth, ahead of [of art and literature] are the products of having fun. So, our Great Britain and Germany. These nations do well by most entrepreneurs need to learn how to have fun, too.” measures of innovation, such as research and development No matter how strong your math and science skills are, spending and the number of high-tech companies as a share you still need to know how to learn, think and even write. Jeff of all public companies. Yet all three countries fare surpris- Bezos, the founder of Amazon (and the owner of this news- ingly poorly in the OECD test rankings. Sweden and Israel paper), insists that his senior executives write memos, often performed even worse than the United States on the 2012 as long as six printed pages, and begins senior-management assessment, landing overall at 28th and 29th, respectively, meetings with a period of quiet time, sometimes as long as 30 among the 34 most-developed economies. minutes, while everyone reads the “narratives” to themselves But other than bad test-takers, their economies have a few and makes notes on them. In an interview with Fortune’s important traits in common: They are flexible. Their work Adam Lashinsky, Bezos said: “Full sentences are harder to cultures are non-hierarchical and merit-based. All operate write. They have verbs. The paragraphs have topic sentences.

27 There is no way to write a six-page, narratively structured all work), the most valuable skills will be the ones that are memo and not have clear thinking.” uniquely human, that computers cannot quite figure out — Companies often prefer strong basics to narrow expertise. yet. And for those jobs, and that life, you could not do better Andrew Benett, a management consultant, surveyed 100 than to follow your passion, engage with a breadth of material business leaders and found that 84 of them said they would in both science and the humanities, and perhaps above all, rather hire smart, passionate people, even if they didn’t have study the human condition. the exact skills their companies needed. One final reason to value a liberal education lies in its roots. Innovation in business has always involved insights beyond For most of human history, all education was skills-based. technology. Consider the case of Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg Hunters, farmers and warriors taught their young to hunt, was a classic liberal arts student who also happened to be pas- farm and fight. But about 2,500 years ago, that changed in sionately interested in computers. He studied ancient Greek Greece, which began to experiment with a new form of gov- intensively in high school and majored in psychology while ernment: democracy. This innovation in government required he attended college. And Facebook’s innovations have a lot to an innovation in education. Basic skills for sustenance were do with psychology. Zuckerberg has often pointed out that no longer sufficient. Citizens also had to learn how to manage before Facebook was created, most people shielded their iden- their own societies and practice self-government. They still do. tities on the Internet. It was a land of anonymity. Facebook’s insight was that it could create a culture of real identities, Fareed Zakaria, columnist for The Washington Post, is where people would voluntarily expose themselves to their the host of “Fareed Zakaria GPS” on CNN and author of friends, and this would become a transformative platform. “In Defense of a Liberal Education.” Twitter: @FareedZakaria Of course, Zuckerberg understands computers deeply and uses great coders to put his ideas into practice, but as he has put it, Facebook is “as much psychology and sociology as it is technology.” Twenty years ago, tech companies might have survived simply as product manufacturers. Now they have to be on the cutting edge of design, marketing and social networking. You can make a sneaker equally well in many parts of the world, but you can’t sell it for $300 unless you’ve built a story around it. The same is true for cars, clothes and coffee. The value added is in the brand — how it is imagined, presented, sold and sustained. Or consider America’s vast entertainment industry, built around stories, songs, design and creativ- ity. All of this requires skills far beyond the offerings of a narrow STEM curriculum. Critical thinking is, in the end, the only way to pro- tect American jobs. David Autor, the MIT economist who has most carefully studied the impact of technology and globalization on labor, writes that “human tasks that have proved most amenable to computerization are those that follow explicit, codifiable procedures — such as multiplication — where computers now vastly exceed human labor in speed, quality, accuracy, and cost efficiency. Tasks that have proved most vexing to auto- mate are those that demand flexibility, judgment, and common sense — skills that we understand only tacitly — for example, developing a hypothesis or organizing a closet.” In 2013, two Oxford scholars conducted a comprehensive study on employment and found that, for workers to avoid the computerization of their jobs, “they will have to acquire creative and social skills.” This doesn’t in any way detract from the need for training in technology, but it does suggest that as we work with computers (which is really the future of Windows and Apple, pastel drawing by Van James.

28 Thoughts of Michaelmas Imaginations from Mythology Phil Dwyer, Honolulu, Hawai'i Michael is an archangel who does just this. He does this on the behalf of all humanity. I think of it something like this.... The hierarchies of celestial beings are “hanging out conversing one day” in the infinite void of absolute all. Un- fortunately, they are all saying humanity is a waste of time; that those folks down there (us) are a lost cause (it’s fairly easy to draft a rather dismal list of our unfortunate failings). That humanity is absolutely and completely hopeless. In a word—they categorically, completely and absolutely without appeal—“write us off.” But wait, there’s one fella who stands up and says, “No, you are all wrong. They (humanity...us) have a spark of something we’ll never have...and we need it. If they can overcome their ‘dark side,’ and yes, I know the cards are stacked against them, then the celestial void will hum a new tune. An even more glorious symphony of celestial song could be put in motion with the help of a humanity transformed. They (us) could re- lease such a roaring flame of liberty, of compassion, of and pure thought...that the heavenly spheres would resonate anew. New bold beautiful worlds could birth afresh and free.” So, of the entire heavenly host, just Michael—with only his sword of singular intention filled with his light and love for humanity—stands alone against seemingly insurmount- able odds. He places himself before the dragon of infinite despair...and subdues it! He places himself within the human heart and whispers against the roar of our distractions, “stand true, have faith, I am here, we can tame the untamable, you are human, you have love, you have the possibility of freedom, we need that in the vast void of all, stand fast, you can do this, you must do this, I am here, be truly human, stand fast.” And, if we listen, we might just hear, and meet, the call! Perhaps this autumnal time of year it is a little easier to hear. There is an annual phenomenon of a number of meteor showers that happen every fall. The most pronounced are the Leonids (King of the meteor showers) late autumn. It is as if the heavens rain their assistance to us this time of year. The metal of strength, iron, rains fire from heaven (burns entering our atmosphere) to aid us as the sun starts slipping further Michael Icon, egg tempera on wood, by Van James away (shorter days) and we go into the cooler darker time of year and (possibly) more into our inner spaces (psyche.) Michaelmas is a festival celebrating the power and light We can take heart, with Michael, that we have the fire of the heart. We celebrate that we have the strength to stand and light of the heavens in our very heart, its iron in our straight and true. This is the strength that is mustered from very blood, and can stand before our “tests of darkness” our steady and stalwart intentions for good. It is born from victoriously! the fire of the human heart, which is a power that can see us Good fortune in your efforts of will and heart! through anything. We can light up this power of the heart in the face of the darkest most despairing circumstances and encounters, whether outward or inward. Through thispower of heart, we have the courage and ability to subdue, transform and tame the shadow, the gloomy, the wounding, the sinister... in a word, the dragon.

29 Hawai'i Art Intensive: tree, an animal, or portraits of famous Renaissance artists, each June 28 - July 3, 2015 drawing and painting “grows.” Van James also encourages his Meilani Lombardi, Honolulu, Hawai'i students to “paint” with their crayon, colored pencil, or pastel. No matter the tool, each movement flows, glides, and expands. Educators from Hawai'i and the Mainland gathered at This method is used in tandem with the “discovery” method the Honolulu Waldorf School this summer to learn from of teaching whereby teachers do not always tell students what teacher, author, and international advocate for the arts, Van the final product will be. Instead, teachers create an experience James. During the 6-day art intensive, educators explored of anticipation, nurturing students’ curiosity and imagination the relationship between and the visual as they follow what the teacher is modeling. Of course, free arts while also renewing their commitment to integrating arts painting and drawing are also practiced. into the academic curriculum. Van James modeled how to lead art lessons for elementary and students but it didn’t stop there. Many educators described their time with Van James as inspiring, interactive, and engaging, and that he “completely changed their thinking about art.”

In addition to the aforementioned methods, Van James models another critical aspect of teaching art – integrating each lesson with what children are currently being taught in social studies, science, mathematics, or literature. As students quietly concentrate on creating their picture, hands and eyes Van James uses alternative methods originated by Rudolf busily involved, teachers can use this time to further a lesson on Steiner, founder of Waldorf Schools. Instead of outlining a botany, symmetry, or history. No subject is taught in isolation figure or a shape and going back and filling it in with color, his and the arts can become the golden thread weaving all aspects approach is to “grow” a work of art. When drawing a tree, for of a curriculum together. example, most people draw the outline of the trunk, branches, Van James regularly offers workshops like these for artists and leaves and then fill in the shapes with browns and greens. and educators around the world. One workshop at a time, In contrast, Van James has students start with a seed, roots and a he contributes to the growing realization that art is a critical sprout and then move upward to illustrate a growing trunk with component of a well-rounded education. branches and leaves shooting outward. Whether illustrating a Editor’s note: The Hawai’i Art Intensive will be offered again next June, 2016. Limited to 16 participants.

30 Eurythmy as "Visible Speech": When we speak the vowels or move them in Eurythmy, we Vowels and Consonants express the soul’s relationship to the world. Cynthia Hoven, Fair Oaks, California, USA From Sounds to Words The essays in this book offer an experience of the deeper Imagine the creation of the earth. Picture divine hands meaning of individual sounds. Sounds alone, however, are shaping the mountains, valleys and plains, the birds and the only the doorway to meaning. When we speak, we make use beasts and the plants, with infinitely powerful and fine, delicate of virtually limitless combinations of sounds to make words. movements. Feel how some gestures are round and voluptuous, In words, vowels and consonants interact in lively combina- while others are sharp or pointed. tions. The consonants describe how the shapes and movements Anticipate then how these gestures live again in magnificent of an object are experienced: the vowels express how the soul but greatly compacted forms in our human language. responds to the object or experience. The manifestation of these formative forces are found As a Eurythmist, I must deepen myself into the inner core in language in our consonants, which are shaped by palate, of the words. I must play with the words so creatively that tongue, teeth and lips with explosive, liquid, round or sibilant their inner nature reveals itself. The tools for this play are the gesture. We use these sparkling sounds to describe mountains sounds themselves, which, through their capacity to make and rivers and stars. We use them to give names to all the plants the imagination and inspiration of the word visible, bring to and all the animals of our world. expression the gestalt of a thing or activity and the experience The sculptural forces that we find in the consonants have of soul associated with it. likewise formed the shape of our body, the temple for our With Eurythmy, I must go beyond the sound-gesture and spirit. The same will and wisdom and movement found in the create word-gestures. The word-gesture must transcend mere universe around us live within us as well. presentation of the sounds of a word, which would look like When we speak the consonants or move them in Eurythmy, gestural spelling. It must make visible the meaning of the en- we dance with the sculptural forces that shaped creation. tire word through an artistic combination of sound gestures When the breath of spirit was breathed into the human be- combined with an imagination of picture and an intuition of ing, we became ensouled, bearers of an inner life which reflects meaning. the whole of the universe outside. We became self-aware, and The pronunciation and the meaning of the word will authors of our destiny. The manifold ways we experience self determine how the gesture of each individual sound will be and world are experienced in the “singing sounds,” the vowels. metamorphosed, made larger or smaller, more or less stressed, Through these the soul speaks back to the world. shaped to interact with other sounds to make one word-picture. The inner life of human beings comes to expression in In their art, Eurythmists express their individual creativity language in the vowels. They express our joy, our sorrow, our through their capacity to make the imagination and the inspira- love, our power. tion of the word reveal the true nature of the thing.

31 From Words to Sentences all people to understand each other. It is said, however, that As sounds are combined into words, words must be brought humanity of that time was too arrogant, and their aspirations into a still higher dimension of relationship in sentences. too high. People began to construct a tower, the Tower of Through an artistic use of syntax, words and phrases are Babel, that they hoped to build all the way up to heaven. This ordered to create well-formed sentences. angered Jahve and he smote the tower, and as further punish- I engage an even higher level of artistry when I create elo- ment scattered humanity to distant lands. He also took away quent sentence-gestures that make these relationships visible. people’s capacity to understand one another, and each folk The tools I use may include specific treatments for the various developed its own language. parts of speech, which allow the formative forces of nouns, the I like to imagine that in those early days the words that activity of verbs, the relationships established by prepositions, people used were “true words,” words that could completely the connectivity given by conjunctions to come alive. embody the essence of meaning. The meditative imaginations written in this book provide Now each separate language holds one piece of the puzzle only the first step of the journey of artistic Eurythmy. Indeed, of meaning. Through the various combinations of sounds that what happens in Eurythmy when sounds are wed into words each language uses to describe the same object, we experience and sentences is as infinitely varied as in language. what part of that object that particular folk understands. When Language is elevated into its highest dimension when it we gather all the separate words together as if we were gather- becomes poetic. The poet uses all the elements of language— ing flowers for a great bouquet, the full meaning of an object sounds, words, parts of speech, rhythm, meter and stress—to shines by virtue of the beauty of all the words coming together. create a work of art. As a Eurythmist, I take great joy in moving T the elements of poetic language, but I experience prosaic or intellectual text to be unpleasant and constricting.

The Question of Different Languages The question often arises of how to do Eurythmy in dif- ferent languages. The answer is a simple one: our gestures in Eurythmy make visible precisely what we hear, regardless of language. What we move in Eurythmy is the actual experience of the sound itself. In principle, K is K in any language, and will be moved in the same way. Small differences may exist: a German L is different from an English L in the placement of the tongue, but even such fine differences will be made visible in movement. More confusion may arise with the vowels, for the written signature for a vowel is often different in different languages. Whereas in English we say ā when we read the letter A, most other languages say ah. Nonetheless, the solution is the same: we move what we hear, and not what we read. We extend our arms wide with an open gesture when we hear the sound of wonder, ah, and close them firmly when we hear the sound of separation, ā. What becomes more interesting is the question of how different languages have given different names to things. We are confronted with a living riddle when we understand that “tree” in English is “Baum” in German, “arbre” in French, “ku- mulaau” in Hawaiian. The English language understands trees to be tall, stretching things: the German language experiences T--Leo: The Lion big growths with round, generous crowns; the French speak of delicate open branches; the Hawaiian feels strong trunks Touched by the spirit, I am transformed by truth. and branches spread wide to the sun. We are in fact infinitely In constant world creating, the Creator summons all of its enriched when we understand the names of things in many Universal Power and hurls bolts of red-hot lightning into the different languages. earth, striking to the core of every manifest thing. The power Biblical legend speaks of a time in the ancient past when all of the Spirit re-enlivens the lifeless world of matter. of humanity shared a common language. This language enabled 32 T is the masculine counterpart of D. It gathers and directs The Art Impulse of Rudolf Steiner both the force of spirit power and the light of spirit consciousness. Peter Stebbing, Dornach, Switzerland In the human being , T is the pre-cursor to manifestation of the individual self-conscious I (ee), or I-Am. In ancient times, a person touched by the might of spirit would be thrown to the ground or knocked unconscious. The modern human being can invoke the T and be strengthened by it.

Intention In the Being of T, I will unite myself with the lightning power of the Creator that directs the entire force of the Creative Will into the core of my being.

Feeling I seek to unite myself with the powers of the universe. Clothed in orange, I stand surrounded by light and feel the red power of spirit all around me. I open the deepest parts of my soul and offer myself to the highest I can imagine. The tension in my arms is green, offering form but no resistance to the powerful forces around me.

Movement and Form I lower my arms to my sides, and let my intention reach into my fingertips. I radiantly lift my arms as wide and as high as I can. Where they meet above my head, I invite world-spirit- light to strike into me. With the backs of my hands together, my fingertips forcefully strike the top of my head at the point of the crown chakra. I stand upright at the moment of impact, strengthened in posture from head to foot. "Threefold Human Being," by Rudolf Steiner Soul Response There may hardly be an impulse of Rudolf Steiner more Were the bones of my skull not so hard and were I not so widely misunderstood, misrepresented and ignored in its es- dull in spirit, I would be thrown to the ground with the force sentials than his art impulse. This becomes evident—with of the impact of the T. My hardness, however, protects me, so notable and significant exceptions—where the art of painting I can withstand is concerned. (Artists who are anthroposophists often pay little the power of the lightning force streaming into my body. heed to Rudolf Steiner’s actual indications in this field—and As it enters through the head and have a right to do so of course, as long as they do not specifically reverberates through the sacred centers of my body, it claim to represent his art impulse.) resounds at my throat, my heart, my solar plexus, In little-known reports of pioneer painters regarding their the base of my spine, my knees. I am ablaze with spirit fire conversations with Rudolf Steiner—that is to say, his artistic and filled with green vital force. coworkers on the first Goetheanum—we find numerous insights Small wonders: Tall trees’ tender twigs try to tickle tiny that add significantly to the content of his published color and tots. art lectures. One overlooked statement of Rudolf Steiner refers to ab- stract art, often viewed by anthroposophists as quintessentially “modern”: “Non-representational painting is a protest against naturalism, but strictly speaking it is absurd. If one truly penetrates into the world of color, one comes to beings. We do not need to look for the lion first in the physical world; we find his archetype in the realm where colors exert their influence.”(Quoted by Margarita Woloschin in “Memory-Pictures from a Time of Intensive Work”.*)

33 "Threefold Human Being," by Gerard Wagner.

In solving the secrets of the sketches in ever new ways over a lifetime, Gerard Wagner opened up an objective, generally valid path to painting out of the color. Concrete indications are to be found in the book The Individuality of Colour, as also in the "Threefold Human Being," by Henni Geck. Appendix to The Goetheanum Cupola Motifs of Rudolf Steiner The painter Gerard Wagner (1906-1999) belongs to the gen- (SteinerBooks 2011). eration directly following on the first pioneers, and can be seen as ------* Conversations about Painting with Rudolf Steiner/Recol- the most significant later exponent of Rudolf Steiner’s painting See: lections of Five Pioneers of the New Art Impulse impulse. Apart from Henni Geck, the original “bearer” of Rudolf . Translated and Steiner’s painting impulse, with whom Wagner initially studied, edited by Peter Stebbing. SteinerBooks 2008. no other painter has worked as faithfully or as extensively with the motif-sketches of Rudolf Steiner—intended by him as the foundation of a new art of painting. For those conversant with the painting method Wagner developed, the question arises as to whether Rudolf Steiner may in fact have foreseen his subsequent far-reaching work in elaborating them, and thus had him in mind also while evolving the sketches for Henni Geck’s paint- ing school. Henni Geck’s own vitally important elaborations of the sketch-motifs of Rudolf Steiner may be seen as the first “seed-leaves” of the new painting impulse, while Gerard Wagner’s metamorphic series in particular can be viewed as a consistent and consequential further development. A blossoming of this entirely new direction in art in the full sense belongs, however, in the nature of things, to a distant future …

34 New Books further ado or else is described in synonyms such as “Goethea- num art”, “Goetheanistic art”, “anthroposophically-oriented art”, “art marked by anthroposophy” and “art inspired by Rudolf Steiner”; on the other hand, it is called entirely into question. Hence, paradoxically, we have an anthroposophical movement with a hundred-year-plus history that referred mainly to the art of its early years (from the 1910s to the 1930s) as “anthropo- sophical art”, a term that from the 1950s onwards it increasingly avoided, rejected and whose meaning it ultimately declared to be nonexistent. The latter was voiced by the anthroposophist and art historian Diether Rudloff in an interview in 1985: “I’ve always resisted the term ‘anthroposophical art’. I believe it to be a non-concept. After all, there is no Marxist, Buddhist, Protestant or Catholic art. There is art or there isn’t art. There is great art and there is mediocre art, but there is no Anthroposophical art.” I can counter this argument with the claim that Buddhist and Christian art do indeed exist, so by analogy why should we not speak of anthroposophical art, as this also has specific features? Whoever sees beyond the alternative designations to what these are meant to signify is presented with the astonishing fact of a comprehensive body of art that goes back more than The Aenigma Constellation – one hundred years, commencing in 1907 with the works and One Hundred Years of Anthroposophical Art sketches of Rudolf Steiner. Although in the context of art his- Reinhold J. Fäth tory there are repeated vague mentions of this “indefinable” Anthroposophical art in references and footnotes, still there From the catalog of a new exhibition [footnotes not in- has been no major retrospective exhibition of the visual art of cluded]: anthroposophy nor a single publication that has provided a survey of the quality, specific subjects and styles of anthropo- The field that we now call may be described sophical art, its range and spread, or the artists and artists’ groups as the chief casualty of academic specialization after the eighteenth of anthroposophy. In the introduction to the catalogue of the century. What initially sets it apart is its modern status as “rejected 2011 large-scale exhibition Rudolf Steiner and Contemporary knowledge”: it contains precisely everything that has been con- Art the editors stated the works by the featured contemporary signed to the dustbin of history by Enlightenment ideologues and artists would “not [come] from the context of anthroposophy, their intellectual heirs up to the present, because it is considered as unlike so-called anthroposophical art, which sometimes set incompatible with normative concepts of religion, rationality and Steiner’s artistic thinking and works quite plainly in a narrow science. Imagined as the radical counterpart of everything that theory of art, the artists represented in this exhibition have gone educated people are expected to take seriously, the consensus among their own way, which is informed by developments in modern mainstream intellectuals after the eighteenth century was that this art and not esetoric trends.” Is that not puzzling? Contemporary domain should better be avoided and ignored in academic discourse anthroposophical art, which has its own teaching that originated rather than being dignified by detailed study and analysis of its ideas with Rudolf Steiner, was completely sidelined in an exhibition and their development. with the title Rudolf Steiner and Contemporary Art. Again we --Wouter J. Hanegraaf were told of its suspicious existence, and again we did not set eyes on it. Anthroposophical Art Misdefined It was different in Prague, where the exhibition Rudolf The history of anthroposophical art in the 20th century is Steiner and Contemporary Art / Thinking without limits was problematic and mysterious. Even the operative term “anthro- also shown, at the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art. Here one posophical art”, so necessary for purposes of research, is shown was able to see for the first time in a museum of contemporary to be problematic and occasionally provocative. In the course of art several examples of work by Czech anthroposophical artists, my research for the exhibition Aenigma – One Hundred Years of although none of these were artists of the present day. Still, I was Anthroposophical Art one question came up time and again: Is able to see works by Josef Prinke and Rudolf Michalik and (for there actually any such thing as “anthroposophical art”? Mostly the first time) Hilde Pollak-Kotány and Richard Pollak-Karlin, it was the term that was questioned; only occasionally was it all “from the context of anthroposophy”. I was delighted by what the meaning of that term. On the one hand, in the literature of had emerged from the context of a “narrow theory of art”. (The anthroposophy the term “Anthroposophical art” is used without embroideries of Hilde Pollak- Kotány were especially “stunning”. They reminded me of an entry in the diary of Hermann Bahr, 35 singular anthroposophical style for the visual arts, as proclaimed in his writings and lectures. How does one explain the ambivalent attitude of many artists (mostly of subsequent generations) who—themselves members of the Anthroposophical Society—do not refer to their “art and artistic creation stimulated by anthroposophy” as “anthroposophical art” nor want it to be referred to in this way? This problem was addressed by the art historian Hella Krause- Zimmer in the weekly Das Goetheanum in a review of Andreas Mäckler’s book Anthroposophie und Malerei [An- throposophy and Painting], which in 1990 addressed the topic of the history of anthroposophical painting for the first time and presented several artists in numerous illustrations. Refer- ring to the chapter ”Is there any such thing as an art history of anthroposophy, and does anthroposophical art exist?” she wrote: Watercolor skyscape by Helmut Siber, one of the artists “Here a once-familiar question returns: Does ‘anthroposophical featured in Aenigma. art’ exist? If so, how broad or narrow is the concept? In artists’ circles this topic has long been discussed endlessly. The naif who wrote in 1920 about the Anthroposophical artist Ernst says, ‘Of course anthroposophical art exists—I can see it!’ The Wagner: “At last another artist who bowls me over! No one since sceptic replies, ‘But you shouldn’t be seeing it! What you see Kokoschka has given me this feeling of being drunk on art.”). is actually pseudo-art.’ ‘Help thyself, little mouse!’ exclaims The art history of anthroposophy implies a conceptual history the third in exasperation”. Although (an exasperated) Krause- whose semantic development and change reflects the course Zimmer circumvented the problem of terminology, she did of this art history. The contrast between the self-perception draw attention to the phenomenon that avoidance of the term of anthroposophical artists of the early decades, such as Hilde “Anthroposophical art” had helped bring about. “It is true and Pollak-Kotány, and perceptions reaching into the present could obvious that anthroposophical art, Goetheanistic art or whatever hardly be more extreme. In 2012 the following argument was we wish to call it, has been overlooked. In the modern art his- put on the anthroposophical website of the Internet portal tory of the world, such painting does not exist. The media never Anthromedia.net: “The arts are free, and thus strictly speaking say a word about it. In art today people appear to be capable there is no anthroposophical art.” While I was puzzling over the of anything, and you would think that anything was possible. logic of this statement, I read further on: “But art and artistic If you let on you have something to do with anthroposophy, creation stimulated by anthroposophy do exist, and there is a however, all doors are closed to you; there is no discussion of large anthroposophical art scene.” A large anthroposophical art exhibitions, museums are not interested in purchasing pictures, scene without anthroposophical art? A similar statement was and no anthologies appear on the large official book market.” made in April 2010 in Anthroposophie Weltweit, the newsletter The research of Andreas Mäckler, conducted in the course of his of the Anthroposophical Society: “Anthroposophical art should dissertation in the fine and visual arts, led to a similar outcome: not be a special area in relation to other artistic endeavours; “Anthroposophically-oriented painting is an example of the ef- much more it is about the fields in which artists with an interest fect of consciously controlled cultural and economical processes in spiritual matters are active. Therefore working results cannot of suppression: general art historiography completely ignores be presented to the public under the ideological designation seventy years’ worth of facts of (art) history. No art-historical ‘anthroposophical’.” In stark contrast to such statements, Rudolf account by a non-anthroposophist contains a detailed exposi- Steiner, the creator of anthroposophy, did not put anthropo- tion of the part played by ‘anthroposophists’ in the history of sophical art in inverted commas, explaining its ideological basis painting in the twentieth century. Even the art journalism of in unequivocal terms: “Now, if the anthroposophical view of the today, which is more open, committed and diverse than ever world is something new entering human evolution [...], then, before, continues to deny its efforts. For instance, if we consider naturally, what had been in the world before could not find against this the high levels of knowledge and research on Ju- expression in our architectural style, our plastic and pictorial gendstil, whose creative phase in Germany lasted barely seven forms, i.e. in the visual art of our building. No artistic reminis- or eight years (very little when compared with the perseverance cences, Antique, Renaissance or Gothic, could be brought in. of anthroposophy) at the turn of the century, then we can speak The anthroposophical world-view had to show itself sufficiently of an extraordinary disproportion in terms of production, me- productive to evolve its own style of visual art.” In shortened diation and reception. I would not wish to insinuate that two form, this premise of Steiner’s was expressed as “anthroposophy generations of art historians and journalists were ‘blind’ to the and the underlying anthroposophical art”. So Rudolf Steiner extensive visual world of this ideological movement; but in their himself coined and used the term “anthroposophical art” and publications they definitely concealed—perhaps were forced to also wrote its manifesto—a mosaic-like manifesto of a new, conceal—its existence.” 36 Mäckler’s book Anthroposophie und Malerei appeared in 1990, at a time when the corresponding “facts of (art) history” had a great impact not only on art history but on contemporary history in general; the literature and art of anthroposophy was banned in the Eastern Bloc, making their concealment a mat- ter of necessity. A ban on the practice of anthroposophical art which had been almost continuous since 9 June 1941, when the State Police of National Socialist Germany was ordered to act against “secret teachings and so-called occult sciences”, inclusive of the category “theosophists, anthroposophists and similar groups”, ended on the territory of the former GDR and the eastern territories once occupied by the National Socialists shortly before the book’s publication. The long ban on the art of anthroposophy east of the Iron Curtain makes the Western “history of suppression” of Mäckler’s assessment all the more astounding.

Rudolf Steiner – a Biography Christoph Lindenberg SteinerBooks 2012

An excerpt: “… [Alexander] von Bernus first met Rudolf Steiner in 1910 in , where he often stayed, and in the ensuing years gradually grew closer to him. In 1912-13, during a critical juncture of his life, he turned to Steiner for guidance. Steiner visited him on February 27, 1913, at the cloister in Neuburg by Freiburg that was at that time in von Bernus’ possession. Nothing is known about the conversation they had, but shortly afterward von Bernus wrote to his friend Melchior Lechter, “This man bears within him such deep love and charity that one would sacrifice everything for him. He is also in fact one of the few great clairvoyants now alive.” (Sladeck).” The Inner Work Path: A Foundation for Meditative Practice “…Von Bernus, who strove to deepen his understanding in the Light of Anthroposophy of Anthroposophy, wanted to find a way to actively support By Lisa Romero Steiner’s movement. Late in 1915 he decided to publish a (http://www.innerworkpath.com/publications/) quarterly, in which anthroposophic writers would also come to word, but which would not be explicitly “anthroposophic.” The Inner Work Path provides accessible insights into the He began without having spoken with Steiner, and when he workings of the human soul, outlines its relationship to the approached the first prospective anthroposophists was met with spiritual life, and shows the way to develop and strengthen our a certain amount of mistrust. A few days later, however, one inner capacities through practical exercises, experience, and deep of those with whom he had spoken returned and told him of understanding. By building a bridge between the spiritual and the conversation he had had with Steiner about von Bernus’s the earthly, the unfolding of these soul capacities awakens the proposal. “I will tell you what he said about it word for word: consciousness with which to engage and transform our outer ‘When someone finally has an initiative, you can’t just throw lives. a wrench in the works!’” “Every step an individual takes affects the collective develop- “The members of the Anthroposophical Society were ment of humanity. The world we experience now is a result of astonished and somewhat taken aback to see their master in the inner work of past generations. By consciously working to such company. There was some consternation concerning the understand and experience our connection to the higher worlds undertaking. It caused Steiner to take his anthroposophic we are more able to fully realise and contribute to the higher friends to task. One should be excited about this initiative. unfolding of humankind” – Lisa Romero The publication is a sign of goodwill and should be supported 37 regardless of one’s opinion of any single piece of writing. “I was Conferences and Courses very disappointed to hear that Herr von Bernus had received stacks of letters from our members voicing their disapproval The Question of Consciousness Today of what had been printed” (174b). To von Bernus, he wrote, A Conference with Virginia Sease “Don’t pay any attention to what the people write; do what August 28-30, 2015 you think is correct” (Sladeck). He remained faithful to von Cedarwood Waldorf School, 3030 SW 2nd Ave. Portland Bernus and contributed articles for each of the eight editions OR 97201 of the journal. ...” (pps. 385-386) Contact: [email protected]

The Stars Once Spoke… Stargazing and Parzival’s Quest for the Holy Grail With Brian Gray September 11 – 13, 2015 Ekone Horse Ranch, Goldendale, Washington, USA Contact: [email protected]

Development, Health and Education September 11-13, 2015 Chrysalis Steiner School in Bellingen, Australia. Contact: http://www.innerworkpath.com/wp-content/up- loads/2015/05/Development-Health-and-Education-3-day- course-20151.pdf

Anthroposophical Society in Australia National Conference: Meeting the World: Engaging - Living- Creating September 25-28, 2015, Sophia Mundi Steiner School, Abbotsford Convent, Melbourne, Australia Contacts: [email protected] Ancient Sites of Kaua'i: A Guide to Hawaiian Archaeologi- Website: www.asc-au.com cal and Cultural Places What Matters? By Van James (Mutual Publishing. $19.95) Anthroposophical Society in New Zealand annual conference October 1-4, 2015 Sacred places, or “wahi pana,” merge ancestral and spiritual Taikura Rudolf Steiner School, Hastings meanings, according to Van James’ invaluable Kaua'i guide. Contact: [email protected] The island’s wahi pana, clearly mapped and photographed, include natural sites such as standing stones, “pōhaku,” on a Transformative Power of Art V. cliff as well as manmade features like petroglyphs. Care and Art—Lifeblood of the Soul: preservation are urged. Rite of Passage to Adulthood After all, as Sabra Kauka writes in her preface about remov- October 1-6, 2015 ing weeds from a heiau, “our past as well is right there, just with Van James below the surface, just within reach.” Prado Farms, Pampanga, Philippines Stories like that of Hinahaukaekae, a girl who was turned Contact: [email protected] into a hau tree, enliven this lovely, illuminating book. Development, Health and Education -Mindy Pennybacker (Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Sunday, October 9-11, 2015, held at Mt Barker Waldorf School in April 5, 2015) Adelaide. Contact: [email protected] The Developing Child's Body and Soul Relationship September 18-20 at Sophia Mundi in Melbourne, Australia. Details here: http://www.innerworkpath.com/wp-content/up- Check-out the updated website of the Anthroposophical loads/2015/03/The-Developing-Childs-Body-and-Soul- Society in Hawai'i and download earlier issues of Pacifica Relationship-3-day-course-.pdf Journal at: anthroposophyhawaii.org 38 From: PaciÞca Journal Subject: Fwd: Save the Date October 1-6, 2015 Transformative Power of Art Series 5 Date: May 19, 2015 12:00:15 PM HST

The Art of Meditation Workshop Retreat November 6-8, 2015 Auckland, New Zealand Contact: Alamandria.co.nz

Working with Gender and Sexuality from Classes 5-12 November 27-29, 2015 in Myocum, Australia. http://www.innerworkpath.com/wp-content/up- loads/2015/03/Working-with-Gender-and-Sexuality-from- Classes-5-12.pdf

Class Teacher's Curriculum Intensive 2016 January 10-15, 2016 Glenaeon Rudolf Steiner School, Sydney, Australia Contact: [email protected]. The Institute for Steiner's Ideas in Practice (ISIP) Philippines brings another round of the Transformative Power of Art series Hawai'i and Southern California AWSNA Education Conference SAVE THE DATES

Feb. 12-14, 2016 October 1-6, 2015 Honolulu Waldorf School, Honolulu, Hawai'i at Prado Farms, Lubao, Pampanga Contact: [email protected] (Begins October 1, Thursday, 5:00pm and ends October 6, Monday, 12:30pm) 10th World Teachers Conference: Overcoming Resistance: courage for an independent spiritual life Join us as we begin the exploration of our youthful souls in this one-week art retreat. March 28-April 2, 2016 Goetheanum, Dornach,Switzerland All parents, teachers, art therapists, cultural creatives, artists Website: http://www.paedagogik-goetheanum.ch/10th-World- (dreaming, aspiring, new, and seasoned), and any adult Teachers-Conference.6448.0.html?&L=1 interested in self-development are welcome and encouraged to come.

We will be announcing workshop rates and registration links soon.

Please let us know if you wish to make an early reservation.

Please contact us through: Mobile: +949 9450817 Email: [email protected]

Copyright © 2015 ISIP Philippines, All rights reserved. unsubscribe from this list update subscription preferences

39 40 STEINER EDUCATION TARUNA DISCOVER THE TRUE ART OF TEACHING ESSENTIAL EDUCATION

Taruna is located in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand and welcomes international students to come study the following year long HOLISTIC HEALTH Steiner Education courses

Diploma in Rudolf Steiner Education Delivery - One year full time.

Certificate in Rudolf Steiner Education Delivery - One year, part-time seminar based

ORGANICS & BIODYNAMICS

Children need teachers who understand and inspire them, they need teachers who are artists, musicians, storytellers and scientists.

Above all they need teachers who teach with imagination and intuition.

If you think you could be one of these people, then STEINER EDUCATION we would like to help you make your next step. These courses are for people who are seeking to deepen their understanding of child development and of themselves as creative individuals.

International students have attended Taruna since it’s doors opened to in the early 1980’s. We enjoy the richness and diversity of cultures that are shared with us and among students here. ART & HEALTH Our hostel becomes a ‘Home away from Home’ for many single students, while couples or families find rental accommodation nearby. Taruna is supported by a warm community who also enjoy meeting and getting to know our International students.

For further infomation or an enrolment pack please contact; Taruna [email protected] www.taruna.ac.nz P. [64] (6) 877 7174 F. [64] (6) 877 7014 33 Te Mata Peak Road, PO Box 8103, Havelock North, 4157, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand

41 42 43 44 Reviews of Pacifica Journal

“I have been sitting and reading and scanning the new issue “Wow, what a journal! How much it has grown in beauty of Pacifica. What an amazing job you all have done putting it and substance since its small beginnings almost twenty years together. It is beautifully laid out as well as full of substantial ago! Congratulations for keeping it going all this time and articles. Congratulations on creating a model publication steadily building its quality. I am impressed!” covering an exciting area of development…” —Benjamin Cherry, mentor to Asian Steiner schools --, author and professor of physics. This is the Journal to watch! The Pacifica Journaltakes in “...I feel the connection every time I receive your remark- the whole pacific rim, including Australia, the Philippines, able Pacifica Journal, which has to be one of the best anthro- Japan and India. It is in this region that Anthroposophy as a posophical periodicals in print. Thank you for expanding my world movement (and not just a central European transplant) consciousness into the Pacific Rim once again.” will meet its test. The task of inculturating anthroposophy —Eugene Schwartz, author and educator, www.millen- into the Asian setting will demand the best thinking we can nialchild.com come up with. Pacifica Journalhas clearly taken this challenge seriously. ...If anthroposophy is to fulfill its destiny as a world movement, this little unpresumptuous journal could become "The Pacifica Journal is an excellent resource, providing a cutting edge. news about events— upcoming and past—and about devel- --Fred Paddock, Rudolf Steiner Library Newsletter, Volume opments in anthroposophical communities all around the 5, 1997 Pacific Rim and in Asia; stimulating articles with deep esoteric content; and informative reviews of recent books related to an- throposophy, Waldorf education, and other sister movements. I look forward to its regular appearance out of the Hawaiian cyberspace." —Ronald E. Koetzsch, editor of Renewal Magazine

Graphic vignettes by Van James

Asia-Pacific Contacts

Asia Korea Hans van Florenstein Mulder Eunhwa Lee Pacifica Journal [email protected] [email protected] is published as a biannual e-newsletter by the Anthroposophical Society in Friends of Rudolf Steiner Education Nepal Nana Göbel Rachel Amtzis Hawai‘i. [email protected] [email protected] Please send subscriptions, donations, Australia New Zealand inquiries, announcements and Jan Baker-Finch Sue Simpson submissions to: [email protected] [email protected] www.anthroposophy.org.au www.anthroposophy.org.nz Pacifica Journal

China Philippines Anthroposophical Society in Harry Wong Anthroposophic Group in the Philippines Hawai‘i [email protected] Reimon Gutierrez 2514 Alaula Way [email protected] Hawai‘i http://isipphilippines.multiply.com/ Honolulu, HI 96822 USA Van James [email protected] [email protected] www.anthroposophyhawaii.org Taiwan Editor...... Van James Ya-Chih Chan Assistant Editor...... Bonnie Ozaki­ James [email protected] India Production...... Julian Sydow Aban Bana [email protected] Thailand www.anthroposophyindia.org Dr. Porn Panosot [email protected], www.panyotai.com Japan Yuji Agematsu Viêt-Nam [email protected] Thanh Cherry www.anthroposophische-gesellschaft-japan.org [email protected]

45 Pacifica Journal Number 48, 2015-2

Waldorf Nepal Earthquake Appeal...... 1 Farming Program in Nepal Helps Sustain Education...... 4 The Asian Waldorf Teachers Conference in Fujino, Japan...... 6 Taking an Interest - The Bridge between Parents and Teachers..7 Lighting the Way for a More Human World: ...... 9 The Rise of Alternative Education in China...... 11 Light Eurythmy Ensemble: Observing and joining in in China.12 The First Kolisko Conference in Malaysia...... 13 Biowork: The Quest for the Color Green, the Light and the Resurrection...... 17 Marilyn Monroe and Rudolf Steiner...... 22 Australia's most famous Anthroposophist honored...... 23 A Modern American Fairy Tale: Public Charter Schools...... 24 Why America's Obsession with STEM...... 26 Thoughts of Michaelmas...... 29 Prayer flags in the Nepalese Himalayas. Hawai'i Art Intensive: ...... 30 Eurythmy as "Visible Speech": ...... 31 Vowels and Consonants...... 31 The Art Impulse of Rudolf Steiner...... 33 Conferences and Courses...... 38 Asia-Pacific Contacts...... 45

Pacifica Journal Annual Subscription Please submit in US currency 2 years (four) e-issues $15 Name______(e-issues only, no hardcopies) Address ______Make check payable to: ______

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Email ______Date______2514 Alaula Way Honolulu, HI 96822 www.anthroposophyhawaii.org "To live in love of action, and to let live in understanding of the other’s will, is the fundamental maxim of free human beings." --RUDOLF STEINER 46